The Fall of the King
by Quillerella
Summary: A wish-away discovers the magic of the Underground and develops an unparalleled hate for our favourite Goblin King. This is the story of his plot to take control of the Labyrinth's power, and in so doing, the whole of the Underground. PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: No I don't own the Labyrinth, nor do I own Jareth. Kirash however, is mine, and he is delightfully fun to write. This is my first attempt at a lengthy Labyrinth fic, and I decided to write it in the point of view of my villain. Enjoy!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**One**

Lightning streaked across the dark sky. The clouds opened up as though the lightning had torn a hole through them, and rain pelted the dry, glittering surface of the Labyrinth. Far across the landscape, the only indication that there was a Castle Beyond the Goblin City was the dim lights winking from the various windows that dotted the surface of the home of King Jareth. A tall, thin figure stood on the outskirts of the Labyrinth, watching it with contempt-filled eyes. He was swathed in black, the soft fabric of which barely rippled in the fierce wind that was stirring up the air around the Labyrinth. He had long, pale fingers, which wrapped around a hard, polished, ebony staff, topped with a dim scarlet stone, its facets gleaming dully in the reflected light of the storm. A hood sheathed his face in shadows. It was nearly time for him to put King Jareth in his place once and for all.

The Black Mage Kirash turned away from the Labyrinth with disgust. True, he desired the land more than anything else, but that was more for the power he'd gain with its control. Dealing with wished away children and runners was a job he wasn't particularly looking forward to, but he could always use Jareth as a slave, and force him to continue to harass the runners, a cruel reminder of his former glory. Kirash released a soft chuckle that sounded more like the hiss of a snake. From his earliest days, he could remember hating no one more than he hated Jareth _the Magnificent_, the pompous, arrogant Fae who controlled the Labyrinth with a lazy hand. Jareth, the jewel of the Fae community, Jareth, the genius magician, who only ever was defeated once, Jareth, the Master of the Labyrinth, the most powerful entity in the whole of the Underground.

Kirash scowled at the clouds. Though he liked the darkness and thunderstorms, he couldn't suppress a feeling of rage that the Labyrinth seemed to be oblivious to the storm. It remained intact, surfaces still glittering with that hateful glitter Jareth put _everywhere_, its inhabitants curling up in their habitats, unharmed by the fierce lightning. What he wouldn't give to just smite one, wretched little worm.

He would run things differently. Oh sure, Jareth's subjects feared him, but the fool had allowed his heart to be softened by a little mortal girl. Though the Goblin King assured his peers that he had long since forgotten the incident, Kirash knew better. He now held a soft spot for mortal girls, and their runs through the Labyrinth were getting suspiciously easy. Kirash knew Jareth was lonely. That was where he would strike. He would wait for a runner, and attack the Labyrinth at its weakest: when Jareth was so consumed by maintaining the Labyrinth's illusions that he wouldn't notice Kirash's unwanted presence. Then Kirash would absorb the power that Jareth had no gratitude for. Those stupid goblins would actually learn how to make it through a battle without falling over each other's feet. They would be so afraid of their new king that there would be no more drunken scenes in the throne room.

Kirash stalked towards the dark forest that bordered the Labyrinth. Hidden within the trees was his home, a tower he'd constructed from his own Dark Magic years ago. Of course, Jareth had forbidden him to be so close to the Labyrinth, but his crystals could not detect Kirash's tower. Jareth was of the notion that Kirash still inhabited the shanty cottage that he'd been banished to years ago, in the far reaches of the Underground. The run-down building was ensconced in a wreath of rocky outcropping in the region of Temeril, an abandoned wasteland where Fae royalty banished their enemies to peril in the harsh conditions. Kirash snorted contemptuously. As if he'd ever allow himself to be condemned to such a life. Jareth had always underestimated him. No more.

The trees changed as he moved deeper within the forest, becoming blacker and more gnarled. For some reason, close proximity to his tower seemed to sap the beauty from the trees, creating a toxic appearance. Not that Kirash minded. He found the effects of his power fascinating. The fact that he even had the ability to influence the forces of nature never failed to astound him. He never took that for granted. Which was why he would win.

Finally, he reached his tower and his thin lips twisted into a wry smile. Black, tall, mesmerizingly powerful, his tower was a place of power and control. He tapped his staff upon the ground five times, in a syncopated pattern. Only such a particular noise would open the sealed oak door to his tower. Of course, the door opened noiselessly, secretly. Kirash enjoyed that, for soundlessness and secrecy were his ways of life. It was the only way to make sure your enemy was unsurprised when you attacked. The second he stepped into his echoing entrance hall, black torches flared to light with eerie green flames. He smirked. He liked green light, it made everything look weaker than it actually was.

The entrance hall was empty, simply constructed of black stone, and containing one door leading down to Kirash's dungeons, and a spiralling staircase leading up to his study and his sleeping quarters.

Kirash threw back his hood at last. Though his face and shape marked him as no older than thirty-nine in Abovegrounder years, his long, straight hair was silver, and shone unnaturally. His face was sallow and hollowed out, his skin sickly and pinched. Hidden within deep, purple hollows were his eyes. Though he had once hated them thoroughly, he enjoyed their effects now, for he merely had to glance at a person to terrify them. Kirash's eyes were blank, purely white, with no iris or pupil. They gleamed, seeming to glow in the dim light of his green torches. Though his eyes were colourless, he knew that they held intelligence, and people could still detect when he had decided to look at them. A long, white scar ran down his jawline. He gritted his teeth as he remembered the cause of his deformity.

He had not looked as odd as a young man. He had been a handsome youth, possessing bronze coloured hair and acid green eyes that entranced any woman he decided to waste time upon. He had been tanned and built, the envy of all he knew. He had been oblivious to the world of magic, living as an Abovegrounder with a promising career as an actor. Of course. He'd had everything.

Then one night, his foolish niece had said the words as he'd argued with his sister. She had wanted him to sit again, and who was he to waste his time with children? Kirash's sister had always been a rash, foolish woman, who delighted in filling her daughter's head with ridiculous fantasies. Kirash had flat out refused to help his sister. He had resented the fact that she'd always turned to him, taking away so much of his time that could have been better spent in bars, or before a mirror, or in a gym, bettering his appearance. He had shouted. Kirash was sure he'd even struck his sister; he'd always had a notoriously bad temper. All of a sudden, from the corner of his sister's small kitchen, he'd heard the shriek.

"I wish the goblins would take you away right now!" He'd turned to laugh at the little girl. But as his sister screamed in horror, he felt the world beneath him drop away, and suddenly he'd landed in the middle of a round throne room.

"What the hell?" he'd exclaimed.

And he'd remained in the Underground ever since. He had dropped his Aboveground name of Kevin, in favour of something a little more impressive. Neither his niece nor his sister wished to run the Labyrinth, and Jareth had been puzzled at first by the situation. Kirash had originally been fascinated by the glittery Goblin King, who managed to appear masculine despite his flamboyant style of dress. Jareth had not had a clue as to what to do with a grown man who'd been wished away by a little girl; it was a completely backwards situation. Jareth had assumed, however, that Kirash had been wicked. So he had forced Kirash to live in the Goblin City, cleaning up after the wretched creatures that were his subjects.

Then Kirash had discovered magic. On his free days, he wandered around the Labyrinth, searching for anything that caught his eye. He'd found a scarlet gem nestled deep within an oubliette. He found he could channel energy through it, and soon had carved himself a staff to house the gem, which focused the power he now controlled. Kirash had become desperate to learn anything he could of power, and so he began sneaking into the Castle, to steal Jareth's magical volumes. When Jareth learned of what Kirash was doing, he had banished him from the Labyrinth, afraid of his power, no doubt. So Kirash had roamed the Underground, picking up tips and skills in each of the regions he'd visited, until one day, he returned to the Labyrinth to challenge Jareth for so unfairly forcing him to work, and then banishing him, instead of nurturing his clearly budding talent.

Kirash had rashly underestimated the extent of Jareth's might. The fight had barely lasted five minutes before Kirash's appearance had been changed forever into the haunted visage that he now bore. And Jareth had banished him to Temeril.

Kirash gnashed his teeth as the memory hit him with the force of a full gale. Jareth would pay for all the wrongs he had inflicted upon him. Kirash would rule, and he would have the power that eluded him. And once he controlled the Labyrinth, he could control the whole of the Underground with his power. He had been excommunicated from every civilization as the feared Black Mage. His days as an outcast were numbered. Kirash would never allow any being to disrespect him again. As time had passed in the Underground, he had aged very slowly, disturbing all Fae he had run across; how was it that a human had suddenly acquired the Fae ability to age so slowly that they had prolonged longevity? Kirash had known from early on it was the magic of the Labyrinth. The fools would all fear him soon enough, even Jareth, whom Kirash had grudgingly respected until he had allowed that foolish Sarah Williams to defeat the Labyrinth.

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_There's installment number one! Please read and review, constructive criticism is always welcome, and let me know what you all think of Kirash! Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: The Labyrinth isn't mine, and neither is Jareth...(darn!). Kirash is mine, though. Here is installment number two of Kirash's plot to overtake Jareth. I know there's no dialogue and it is rather transitional, but I've put in some interesting theories on the workings of magic in the Underground._

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**The Fall of the King**

**Two**

Dim morning light invaded Kirash's sleep, a keen knife intent on tearing his deep slumber to shreds. He opened his eyes slowly. His magic required plenty of rest, and in the last few weeks, he had been exerting himself far past his usual limits in order to absorb the power of different highly magical objects scattered throughout the Underground. Of course, his power had increased tenfold, but that also signified that he felt exhaustion acutely, and often he felt weighed down by the magnitude of his power.

Though he was still bogged down by morning grogginess, Kirash quickly threw back his emerald sheets and was out of bed with the rapidity of a leaping predator. His mind began whirring into action - he had one last item of power to acquire before the new runner arrived in the Labyrinth. Over the course of the last few weeks, he had trekked across all of the Underground's regions to collect the 'heart' of each region, a magical orb that sustained and provided magic for each being that inhabited the area. Most of the regions, especially the completely Fae-inhabited Quilark and Everwooden, the home of the elves, contained enough magic on their own that the absence of their 'hearts' would not be sorely missed nor noticed.

Ironically enough, it was the Heart of Temeril that he had yet to obtain. This particular orb sustained any and all life in the region. Without it, the conditions would become so extreme that the area would wither and die completely, and along with it, any exiles or creatures that still inhabited the rocky landscape. Kirash smirked at the thought. What an exile location it would be when he ruled the Underground! His enemies would have no hope of surviving.

Kirash peeked through his heavy velvet curtains with alert eyes. It was sunny, but clouds were threatening to overtake the skyscape. He smirked again. The weather of the Labyrinth often tended to reflect the mood and preferences of its Master. Jareth's Labyrinth was usually bright and sunny. Kirash knew his Labyrinth would be under the perpetual darkness of thick storm clouds. The Labyrinth was already bending to his will; it was ready for a new Ruler. He would have laughed, but he believed that it was unseemly when by oneself. It was better for the object of your mirth to be present before letting loose a good cackle.

Letting the curtains fall closed with a soft whisper, Kirash crossed his small chamber until he reached a tall, very simply constructed wardrobe. He held out his pale hand and made a beckoning gesture as he regarded the closed doors of the wardrobe. His staff raised itself from the floor next to his bed and obediently settled into his waiting palm. He then tapped it once on the black stones of his floor and the wardrobe doors opened. Hanging within were several versions of the only clothing he permitted himself to wear: black robes of a flowing material and length that could swirl around him menacingly when he chose for them to do so. They made for surprisingly easy mobility, perhaps because the material he had conjured was so light. Black was his favourite colour, it had been even when he used to be Kevin, aspiring Aboveground actor. But black also had the advantage of reflecting no light whatsoever, and with a hood pulled up, his pale skin, abnormal eyes, and eerie hair would give no sign of his presence.

Kirash chose a fresh robe and quickly pulled it on. He had work to do today, and he could not afford to waste time enjoying using his magic for every little chore in the morning. He would need it to obtain the Heart of Temeril. He grabbed an extra cloak. The conditions in Temeril were tempestuous and tumultuous; he never could predict when it would be hot or cold. No one could, not even glittery Jareth. With that settled Kirash exited his sparse room immediately and ascended another level to his study at the top of his tower. It was crammed neatly with every magic book he had managed to collect throughout his travels in the Underground, including a few he had stolen from Jareth himself.

The book he needed was already sitting on his massive, ornate mahogany desk, the only indulgence he really had in his tower. A powerful mage needed an impressive desk. The book was open to the page Kirash needed to look at, a sign of his ever-increasing obsession. The yellow, crinkly pages were brittle and smelled extremely musty, so Kirash had to be overly-careful as he leant over the massive tome to observe the illustration.

In spidery penmanship with deep scarlet ink was a portrayal of the Heart of Temeril, and some vague instructions as to how Kirash should go about finding it. He could feel irritation creeping up his spine as he reviewed the instructions for the thousandth time. How could the author have been so imbecilic as to avoid visiting the location of the orb? How could the author have even endured being so thoroughly non-specific? Sighing, he memorised the picture: an orb very similar to Jareth's blasted crystals, though black in colour, and radiating a dull brown light. At least, that was the vague author's description.

Kirash closed the book gingerly and replaced it on one of the teeming shelves that circled the room. He then proceeded to the roof of his tower. He enjoyed travelling from his rooftop. It was much more stimulating than from the ground. As he emerged outside, he noticed that the wind was picking up, the clouds moving faster, and they were gravitating towards his tower. Kirash knew it could be a potential problem, but he doubted Jareth would suspect his presence. He stood absolutely still for a moment, allowing the wind to surround him, enjoying the sensation of the wind's caress on his face before pulling his hood up and holding out his staff horizontally.

He closed his eyes and began to focus on the small particles of magic that were floating all around him. Magic was everywhere: it just took the incredibly gifted to realize it, the same way only a truly gifted musician could add emotion and soul to a piece when a perfect technician could not. The particles condensed around him, realizing his ability to command them, silently asking him what the nature of his bidding was. Focusing on the wind again, Kirash ordered the particles to allow him to become like the wind. Once he felt his body breaking up into the lightness of air, he forced the magic particles to fling him towards Temeril.

Kirash always enjoyed the sensation of travelling, particularly when he transformed himself into the wind. It was exhilarating, to know he had that power over nature, and to feel how quickly he was moving. He also had the ability to deconstruct himself into particles and reconstruct them where he wished to go, but that took considerably more energy, and if he was venturing to Temeril, he would need all of his stores of power.

All too quickly, he felt his body reforming and solidifying, becoming heavier, racing towards the ground. He landed lightly on his feet, his felt boots making little noise upon the dry, compact earth of Temeril. Kirash opened his eyes and surveyed the landscape. Not much had changed in the years since he had escaped this barren wasteland. It was still dry, rocky, and at every turn, every landmark looked exactly the same. That was why exiles rarely made their way out of Temeril; it was so confusing that oftentimes, an exile would go insane before reaching his destination. But Kirash had had magic on his side, and he had forced himself to remain calm.

There were still small cacti and Temerilian tomatoes scattered across the dry earth. Kirash nearly gagged at the memory of forcing down the dry tomatoes and sucking moisture out of the cacti to survive. Never again, he had promised himself that the moment he had reached the outer limits of Temeril. Fortunately, now that his power was so much stronger, he could conjure himself food and drink when he needed it during this particular voyage.

Kirash took a few steps forwards, clouds of dust swirling up around him with each footfall. Sighing, he tapped his staff twice on the dry ground, and an invisible bubble surrounded him, protecting him from the choking dust. Then he threw a cloak around his shoulders; the wind was bitingly cold here today, and it was picking up in severity. Kirash made it towards the rocky outcropping where his former home had been. He was surprised to see the ramshackle hut was still standing, though it looked as though one more gust of wind would cause its demise. He knew that he had to head west from the spot of his former hut, and after that, he would have to clear his mind and focus upon the energy of the magic particles: the more frantic they grew, the closer he would be to the Heart of Temeril.

As he continued westward, he saw little sign of intelligent life. The exiles kept to themselves, for they knew that their fellows would attack for food or water, clothing or shelter. And they would most definitely keep away from Kirash. A powerful mage was always dangerous, and in their weakened state, exiles could not afford to attack a sorcerer. Kirash wondered if there were any exiles still living in Temeril. He knew that a few of them had probably had enough ingenuity to prolong their lives in Temeril, but the conditions were still nearly uninhabitable.

Every time he strayed from his straight westward path, he used a charm which coaxed the area's magical particles to nudge him back in the correct direction. The magical particles in Temeril were weak. They barely resisted an unfamiliar force, which was why the weather here was so dangerous and unpredictable. Any force of nature or magic could control them. At approximately midday (though he couldn't really tell as the sun was wreathed in writhing clouds), Kirash paused to drink some water he had conjured and eat a bit of bread. Since living in Temeril, he had never regained a full appetite, and so did not need much more than some bread before trekking onwards, his mind bent on the Heart of Temeril.

Finally, as the sky was growing dark, he reached another rocky outcropping, where a small opening was hidden. The magical particles were bouncing around erratically, their energy going wild; this was the place. Kirash took a deep breath, removed his shielding bubble, and took a step into the darkness.

_Thanks very much for reading! Please send me your reviews, including any constructive criticism you may have!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Neither Jareth nor his Labyrinth is mine. Kirash is though, as well as his cool staff...Please read and review! I want to know what you think!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Three**

It was surprisingly clear and cold inside the little cave. However, all of the sound was swallowed up, and the air felt thick and oppressive, as if the walls were coated in fur. Kirash ran his hand along the jewel that decorated the pinnacle of his staff and a dim red glow appeared from within it. Kirash looked around, realising he was in a tunnel, rather than a cave. The walls appeared to be thickly coated in dust, perhaps explaining the reason why sound was so thoroughly absorbed. The tunnel was barely tall enough for him to fit, and it was so thin that Kirash felt grateful for his thin frame, caused by the near-starvation of his term in Temeril.

He shook his head irritably. If he his mind kept meandering down that path, he would end up giving up his quest to rule the Labyrinth simply out of foolish gratitude. Kirash walked farther into the tunnel. The air was thick now, but its quality had very subtly changed. It was thick with dancing magical particles now, and there was no dust on the walls, for the magic particles were too active to allow anything to settle on the surfaces of the tunnel. Excitement built up in Kirash so quickly that he felt the pressure as though he had already absorbed the Heart of Temeril's magic. He began to run, his breath coming in short gasps. He was so close...

Finally, the tunnel suddenly dropped away, and Kirash found himself in a massive stone cavern. The magical energy in this place was so acute that Kirash's hair was standing on end, and a chill possessed his whole entire body. His mouth dropped open in awe. Temeril was such a desolate landscape because its heart drew in all the magic to it, so magnetic was its force. The orb was gigantic; it took up at least half of the space in the cavern, at least thirty times larger than Kirash was. He could not help himself. Kirash let loose a laugh that, though quiet, shook his whole body with malicious mirth, and caused the odd brown light radiating from the Heart of Temeril to shiver. With the power that this orb held, he could probably manage to kill Jareth with one snap of his fingers!

Kirash reverently approached the glowing orb and placed his hand upon its smooth surface. He felt its magic washing over him.

"Now it is time..." he whispered to himself. He pressed the tip of his staff against the Heart of Temeril. Focusing on converting his staff into having properties similar to an Aboveground siphon, he began to gently speak to the orb, coaxing it to do his bidding. "Come to me," he hissed softly, making a beckoning gesture with his free hand. He felt a tentative tendril of magic seep through the staff and into his body. He tensed immediately. He had to gather a stronger connection between himself and the Heart before he could steal the power. "I will give you a chance to exert your power, to exercise it rather than sucking it all inwards..." Another tendril of magic shot through his staff. Kirash felt as though he had been ill, and suddenly the illness had vanished. "I shall be a good Master, I know how to appreciate the gifts you shall bestow on me..." More power began to flow through the staff, looping through and around Kirash's body. The orb couldn't know that Kirash was using himself as a hook, and that soon, he would reel in the power once enough of the fish had taken the bait.

"Come to me," he repeated sweetly, "and I shall free you from this dry prison." This last phrase seemed to have awoken the orb. Suddenly, vast quantities of magical particles were swimming into Kirash, and he laughed triumphantly. He had the hold he needed; he wrenched his staff back violently. The brown light trembled, and suddenly began to weaken. The orb shrank as its essence disappeared, flowing through Kirash's staff and into his body. He shuddered. Never before had he attempted to absorb so much power at once. The other Hearts had been small compared to this, and Kirash fleetingly wondered if he'd been foolish, if he had the strength to remain intact as the power of the Heart of Temeril merged with his own magic and body.

But the worry soon passed. Kirash closed his hand in a tight, cruel fist as the last light of the orb floated into it. The orb itself was now no more than a small stone, a pitiful parody of its former magnitude. Smirking, Kirash straightened himself up, surprised at how light he seemed to be, despite the immense amount of magic he had just taken in. His movements were lightning quick now. He knew, however, that it was merely a short-term effect, a momentary high before the magic finished merging with his body's cells.

Kirash turned his back on the dark, empty cavern and began to sprint through the tunnel. The earth was beginning to shake, feeling the sudden absence of its life force. As soon as Kirash shot out of the tunnel, he commanded his body to break into tiny pieces, and immediately reformed himself on the roof of his tower. Though he felt slightly light-headed and dizzy, he was glad that he had transported himself out of Temeril so quickly. He swirled his staff in the air before him, and a window appeared, through which he watched Temeril imploding upon itself, until there was nothing left but a bare patch of cracked dirt. In the center of the region, Kirash could see a small, black rent, the exact location where the Heart had once ruled. He smirked. That hole would suck in any life that entered the Temeril region in an attempt to reform its Heart.

Turning away from the window, Kirash descended to his room. He had two full days before the new Runner arrived in the Labyrinth, and he needed to rest now, in order to be prepared for the assault he was planning to unleash upon Jareth and his kingdom.

His room was silent, exactly as he had left it this morning. Only now, his body suddenly felt exhausted. He had been so caught up in the adrenaline-rush of fresh power that he had failed to comprehend exactly how much of himself he had exerted obtaining the Heart of Temeril. He barely had the energy left to walk over to his bed. The second his body hit the mattress, blackness swallowed him.

Kirash was jarred awake when his body suddenly smacked hard into the floor of his bedchamber. Disoriented, he tried to stand up, but the earth tilted beneath him again, pitching him headfirst into the bed. He rubbed his bruised forehead and tried to steady himself for a third time. The ground pitched again, but Kirash was prepared for it this time, and now that he was fully awake (thanks to a throbbing head), he realised what the earthquake meant. The new Runner had arrived, and Kirash had slept for two days straight. Rapidly, filled with a jittery excitement, Kirash dressed himself and flew down the steps of his tower. He needed to see Jareth upon the hill, explaining the rules to the new Runner.

He was careful to keep himself well within the dark forest bordering the Labyrinth. His stomach clenched when he saw Jareth's back. Every time that fuzzy-headed Goblin King came anywhere near Kirash's line of sight he felt sick. Jareth had ignored Kirash's gift, and then had cursed him to a life sure to lead to death. Kirash fought the wave of rage that threatened to consume him and focused on the Runner who was standing next to Jareth.

From his position, Kirash could see that the runner was a girl of average height and proportions he considered too fat for his tastes. She had short, wild curls of a reddish-brown tint, and was shaking visibly, even from Kirash's far-away vantage-point. He quickly ignored her as unimportant, and returned his gaze to his nemesis. Jareth was smirking, of course, and pointing towards his castle. Then he faded away, leaving the Runner alone on the hilltop, staring at the Labyrinth with her hands over her mouth. Kirash felt impatient. She needed to be inside the Labyrinth before he could actually sneak in himself, in the guise of something geared to terrorize the Runner. He sent out a thin ribbon of magic to probe the girl's mind for irrational fears that he could use.

Kirash nearly laughed when he had finished looking through the girl's memories. Anything small and slimy could be used to frighten her. Conversely, if he appeared as some sort of large monster, he could frighten her just as easily. Or he could turn himself into shadows and use darkness to sneak into the Labyrinth. He watched her dither for a moment or two, and he very nearly stepped out and pushed her forwards, but she finally put one foot in front of the other and approached the outer wall of the Labyrinth. Kirash was acutely aware of the magical energy of the Labyrinth shifting to fulfill the Runner's expectations. When she approached the main gates, they opened noiselessly, and as they were falling closed, Kirash shifted himself into shadows, and slithered in before the doors closed.

Disguised as a shadow, Kirash would be undetectable to Jareth as an unwanted enemy. He would simply seem to be another facet of the Labyrinth, lying in wait to terrorize and distract the Runner. At first, Kirash allowed himself to bond with the Runner's shadow, content to follow her, absorbing small parts of the Labyrinth as he went. Once she neared the center of the Labyrinth, he would detach himself and begin to place pockets of his own power throughout the giant maze. Once he had placed enough of his power, his controllable power, within the Labyrinth, he could make a true assault on its ruler.

It had been centuries of Underground time since he had been in the Labyrinth, and his heart kicked up at the feel of being back in the land he'd once considered home. He slammed the floodgates down on his traitorous emotions. The only thing he desired now was to see Jareth writhing on the floor in a piteous condition, begging for mercy, while he, Kirash, sat upon the throne in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.

It was the only ending that Kirash was willing to accept.

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_Thanks to everyone who has been reading! Like I said at the top, please review! I would like to know your thoughts!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: (sigh) Jareth isn't mine. Kirash and Emma are. I know that there has been little to no dialogue up until now, but I had to get Kirash's solitary adventures out of the way first. Don't worry, there is lots more dialogue after this chapter! PLEASE review, I would love to read your opinions! :D_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Four**

The air stirred slightly as Kirash commanded the magic holding him to the Runner's shadow to release him. He remained in shadow form, watching as the Runner paused, nervous. He reared up as a massive shadow and her blue eyes widened in fear. She turned and immediately ran in the opposite direction. Kirash smirked as he watched her go. That was a feeling he could get used to, a feeling he knew that Jareth had once enjoyed. This filled him with anger. How was it that he could enjoy something that Jareth had? Jareth was a fool who was softening over time. Any idiot with a brain could see that.

Kirash waited until he was sure that no creature would disturb him before zipping through the Labyrinth's passageways. As a shadow, he could move much more quickly than in his human form. He slithered back to the beginning of the Labyrinth and formed his shadow-self into a pair of hands that wrought a small, black jewel from the magical particles within himself. Kirash loved this particular spell. Rather than weakening his power, he was depositing controllable pockets of himself throughout the Labyrinth so that when the time came, he could control multiple sections of the Labyrinth at once, and use them to defeat the Goblin King. He was merely making himself larger, spreading his influence over many areas. Kirash secured the black jewel deep within a nearby hedge, and then he sped off to a stony maze area that was littered with sculptures of Jareth, no doubt to confuse and belittle the Runners, especially the female ones. Kirash wanted to roll his eyes. He had no idea what the females saw in Jareth; with his ridiculously teased blonde mop, awful tight pants, and horrid leather boots and gloves, Kirash found Jareth to be repulsive.

Kirash formed another jewel and floated over to a statue of Jareth holding a crystal. Smirking, he forced it within the stone crystal. For good measure, he hid another one in the Stone-Jareth's ridiculous hair. Next, he glided sinuously towards the Magical Forest, and hid several jewels within the trees and the thirteen-hour clocks that Jareth had placed everywhere to remind the Runner of how time always slips away. He could feel his body tingling in anticipation, hyperaware of how close he was to owning the power of the Labyrinth.

Kirash avoided the Bog of Eternal Stench. It had barely any magical particles within it, with the exception of a charm Jareth had placed upon it to extend and magnify its repulsive odour. Kirash had been sent to the Bog enough in his early days working for the goblins of the Labyrinth. He shuddered at the memory. Of course, Jareth and his minions had always sent Kirash to the bog to fish out prisoners or Runners. He had no desire to see that mucky hole again. Fortunately, he'd had enough power at that point to protect himself from accidentally falling in or getting Bog on his shoes. He briefly wondered if the new Runner would be stupid enough to get herself mired in it.

Chuckling at the entertaining notion, Kirash darted around the rest of the Labyrinth, placing more jewels in hidden places as he flew, pausing to convert a few of its creatures into raw power that he quickly took in. The adrenaline rush was becoming an addicting sensation. And the creatures all seemed to be so terrified. They screamed for mercy, but Kirash laughed at them as they became swirling masses of magical particles of different shapes, sizes and colours.

He had come upon a pack of Fireys, joking around and throwing each other's heads in a clearing within the Magical Forest. When Kirash had commanded their magical particles to break up, the Fireys became tiny, compact blobs of brilliant purple energy that was extremely hard to absorb, but gave a real shock to Kirash's system once he had managed it. The Fireys had been rightfully horrified, but it was their cries of pain that really intrigued Kirash. He really hadn't thought that ceasing to exist could cause so much pain, because _technically_ he wasn't killing them. He was just breaking them down into their original magical elements.

Fairies morphed into massive, diamond-like systems of scintillating black particles. The goblins he found were most interesting. Each goblin he broke down turned into something different. Some of them simply turned into glittering versions of their grubby former selves. Others broke down into a single magical particle that looked suspiciously similar to one of Jareth's many crystals. Yet others became massive swirling, shapeless entities that were surprisingly easy to capture.

The best part of all of this trouble Kirash was causing was that not one of the witnesses could tell Jareth that it was Kirash who was at the heart of the problems. All they could say was that there was a large, black shadow racing through the Labyrinth, eating up creatures as it went. And because Kirash was not a Runner, the obstacles were of no challenge to him, and he couldn't get lost, because he wasn't racing against a timeline to defeat the Goblin King.

As he finished depositing his jewels throughout the Labyrinth, a nastily brilliant idea flared to life within Kirash's mind. He could cause yet more damage to the Labyrinth if the Runner was physically harmed during her Run. Though the Labyrinth was geared to challenge and frighten each Runner into appreciating the gifts they had, it was not built to cause true harm. The Labyrinth would have to halt itself in mid-run while Jareth scrambled to save the Runner's life. And then Kirash would be able to actually enter the Goblin City as a Guest. Not only would that give him greater access to the Labyrinth's power before he actually challenged Jareth, but the Labyrinth itself would be extremely weak, in disarray, because a Runner was injured. The Labyrinth would think itself responsible.

The Labyrinth was not merely a landscape that Jareth controlled completely. It was a magical entity in its own right, sharing a deep connection with its King. But it had the ability to act and think on its own if it chose. Of course, the Labyrinth rarely did such things, only in instances when it feared its Ruler, or believed that its Master was behaving unwisely. That was a complication Kirash would have to eliminate at once. He could not afford to have a rebellious Labyrinth. The solution sounded simple enough, but Kirash knew it would be nowhere near easy. He would have to control the Labyrinth by consuming all of its power, very similar to the method which he had used to obtain each of the Hearts throughout the Underground. Then the Labyrinth would be a slave to his will.

Kirash paused for a moment, and shifted back into his human form. He needed to find out where the Runner was if he was to approach her. He held his staff very gently, and closed his eyes. He focused on the young woman's appearance as he'd remembered it. She was still lost in the stony section full of Jareth statues. Kirash snorted. The only thing he had to worry about with his new plan was running into the poofy-headed Goblin King.

He melted back down into shadows, and slithered towards the Runner. Twenty minutes later, he found her, spinning around in circles, her eyes wide and frantic. He hid behind a particularly large Jareth statue and morphed back into himself. The Runner stopped spinning and ran her hand through her hair.

"Why can't he just make normal rocks?" she was growling through clenched teeth. "No, instead every single statue has to look like the bloody Goblin King!" Kirash fought down a snicker. This female too, was no exception. She was allowing her mind to be fuddled by Jareth too. Kirash paused to wonder again: precisely why was Jareth so distracting to these idiot Aboveground girls? Surely it wasn't his poet shirts and glitter? He snorted in disgust.

Kirash was about to step out from behind his hiding place when he heard a new voice, and immediately shrank back into a shadow, watching silently.

"Are you lost, Emma?" Jareth sneered. Kirash felt his stomach curl in upon itself. There was the Goblin King himself, towering over the Runner. Kirash could see the girl's throat working as she swallowed.

"No," she stammered defiantly. Kirash suppressed his incredulity. Of course she was lost.

"And how are you finding my Labyrinth?" Jareth asked her, backing her into the rocky wall, crowding her. The Runner was ogling him ridiculously, clearly unaware of her inability to look away.

"It's much more dangerous than I expected," she whispered. Jareth leaned towards her, and Kirash wanted to gag.

"Really? What a pity. I thought you'd enjoy yourself, Emma," the Goblin King sneered softly. The girl squirmed, trying to get away from Jareth. Kirash did not understand how the Goblin King could lean in so close. Firstly, there was no need for such physical closeness, and secondly, the girl was not worth it.

"I'd better get going," the Runner mumbled uncomfortably. "Your castle is still quite far away."

"It is, isn't it?" Jareth chuckled. "For you." And then he was gone. The Runner was shaking. Kirash tried to compose his face into a relatively sympathetic expression as he shot back up into his human form. The Runner stood in the same spot, holding her hand over her mouth again, her eyes looking confused. Kirash wanted to sneer at her. She looked to be around eighteen, too old to be confused by glittery Goblin Kings. Couldn't she see how ridiculous Jareth was? He knew she wasn't completely stupid. He stepped out from behind his hiding place at last. The girl gasped, but he held up his hand at once.

"The Goblin King, is he gone?" Kirash asked, forcing his voice to take on a fearful tone, rather than a contemptuous one. The Runner nodded mutely. "Good. Then I can help you."

* * *

_Alrighty then, there's chapter four for you! And now there is some dialogue! And a new character! And Jareth has finally graced us with his leathery sexiness! And Kirash's opinions on Jareth are his alone, I don't find his poofy hair ridiculous at all! ;P Please review, and thanks for reading. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: All right, here's chapter five. I don't own the Labyrinth, but I own Kirash and Emma, who are currently traversing its winding paths. Jareth will show up again soon, don't worry! We finally have some dialogue, and Kirash even has a flashback. Please review, I want to know what you think!_

* * *

**The Fall of the King**

**Five**

The girl backed away suspiciously. _ She should be suspicious,_ Kirash thought irritably, _I hardly look like a fluffy bunny rabbit._ Kirash still had his hood up; he knew that if she saw him outright, she'd refuse his help immediately, and he would lose out on the fun of convincing the Labyrinth that it had done her physical harm.

"Who are you?" she asked timidly. Kirash resisted the urge to sneer at her. How is it that she could be so awfully afraid of everything? He forced himself to smile, allowing his tone to sound slightly more sincerely friendly.

"My name is Kirash," he replied softly; his voice was always quiet. He held out a hand for her to shake. She stayed where she was. "I was a wish-away," he whispered dramatically. He heard the girl gasp. "Who are you?" he asked, as though nervous she was a spy for Jareth.

"I'm Emma," she whispered, running forwards to shake his hand thoroughly. "Can you really help me?" Kirash dropped his hand away from hers as soon as he could. He nodded enthusiastically, marvelling at how quick this Runner was to trust him. Was she really that lonely?

"I've been in the Labyrinth for centuries now," he told her, putting a note of confidentiality into his tone. "The Goblin King has been looking for me ever since I was wished away. But I escaped, and I learned magic," he added. "I know this Labyrinth inside out."

Emma's tone lowered and became sympathetic. "Who wished you away?" she asked sadly. Kirash refrained from rolling his eyes, even though he knew she wouldn't see them.

"My older sister," he lied swiftly. "She never wanted to even try running the Labyrinth to save me..." He trailed off reminiscently, although his memories did not travel down the same path as Emma's imagination...

_"Dammit, Serena! You're always asking me to watch after your stupid kid!"_

_"Kevin, you promised! I don't know what your problem is; it's just for a few hours!" Serena shouted, her blonde curls standing on end as she ran a small hand through her hair. Kevin rounded on her, snarling, his face contorted. How could she be so blind as to her own selfishness?_

_"I have a life, now, Serena, and I can't always spend it doing things for you! My reputation in Hollywood would go down the tubes if I was photographed babysitting some stupid little girl every second night! I have parties to go to! I have girls to hook up with! And I'm not going to help you deal with your mistakes any longer!" Kevin shouted. Serena went very quiet, her emerald eyes swimming with unshed tears._

_"Kelly was never a mistake, Kevin," she whispered. "How can you say such a thing?"_

_"Then where's her father, Serena? I have things to do tonight," Kevin sneered cruelly. He didn't care; Serena had been cramping his style for years. He turned to walk out of the kitchen, fighting the urge to say more about how bratty and snot-nosed three-year old Kelly was. But Serena grabbed his sleeve and yanked hard._

_"Kevin, you promised!" she repeated desperately. "Please, I just need you for an hour; I have to go to an interview!" Something inside Kevin snapped. He didn't really understand what had made him do it. All he knew was that he did not want his older sister calling him every bloody day to fix her stupid problems. He didn't want to spend his nights watching some random little girl, and he was sick of his sister whining about his promises. He whirled around and somehow his fist connected with Serena's face. Serena flew back into the white cupboards of her kitchen with a cry._

_"I don't care! I don't care about any promises I made! Find someone else to clean up your messes!" he roared. _

_"I wish the goblins would take you away, right now!" Kevin heard his little niece shout the words, and started to laugh._

_"See what idiot things your mother does? She teaches you nonsense!" he started to shout at the little girl. _

_"NO!" Serena shrieked. Kevin turned to ridicule the child, but suddenly the floor vanished and he was thrown forwards, hundreds of grubby little hands grabbing at him..._

"Kirash? I'm so sorry," Emma's soft words broke the train of Kirash's reverie. He smiled ruefully.

"Oh it's nothing. She was always a wicked sibling," he assured her lightly. "I've had centuries to get over it, really..." _To get over it and plot my rise to power_, he thought maliciously. "Who did you wish away?" he asked carefully. The girl's eyes filled with tears, and Kirash nearly sighed in exasperation. What was it about females and the tear ducts? They just seemed to open so easily, leaking constantly like a horridly repaired pipe.

"I didn't really expect anything to happen!" Emma sobbed, turning away from Kirash, for which he was glad. Her face was unattractive enough without the added ugliness of red eyes and tear tracks. "My family just - they just made me so angry! I was joking when I said the words!"

"You wished away your whole entire family?" he said incredulously. "Oh what a pity. I'm so sorry," he added quickly, too quickly to sound sincere, but Emma was so absorbed in her own misery that she hardly noticed.

"It was just one of those stupid fights we always seem to have, and I just - I don't know, I was trying to lighten the mood, and the words just came out! And I don't know if I'll ever reach the castle," she finished dejectedly, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her scarlet sweater.

"At least you're trying to win them back," Kirash reassured her. "I told you I would help you, there's nothing for you to worry about."

Emma turned around again, her eyes sparkling with hope. "Do you always help the Runners?" she sniffled.

"I try," Kirash fibbed smoothly. "Now we'd better get going before your time runs out. I know a few shortcuts that will help us to avoid the - the Goblin King." He couldn't stop himself from infusing hatred into his voice as his tongue wrapped itself around the words that addressed Jareth, and the position that Kirash so desperately coveted.

"You really hate Jareth, don't you?" Emma murmered, trailing behind Kirash as he led her down a path that took her away from the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.

"Let's just say that he punished me unnecessarily," Kirash said, pulling back his hood at last. He heard the girl gasp, and smirked, glad she was behind him. Of course, she only saw his silvery hair, but it was unnatural enough to make anyone gasp. He turned to face her and she actually squealed.

"Oh - oh my god!" she whispered in horror. "Jareth did that? Why?"

Were girls always so inquisitive? "I don't know," he lied quietly, trying to sound hurt and misunderstood. "I was wished away, and then the Goblin King made me work in the Goblin City, and then he - it hurt so very much."

"I thought - I thought he turned wish-aways into goblins," Emma sputtered anxiously. Kirash chuckled bitterly.

"No. Wish-aways normally are sent to Underground families without children. But I was wished away as an adult," he explained calmly. "The Goblin King didn't have to follow the rules."

Emma gasped. Kirash turned away from her so that he could smirk again. The more Emma hated Jareth, the better. She would be more inclined to follow Kirash.

"Now," he continued, as though clearing his throat and ridding his mind of melancholy thoughts, "we must be going. And remember, any sign of the Goblin King and I must hide. He cannot know that I'm there." He adjusted his grip on his staff to a more casual hold, as though he was merely using it as a walking aid, rather than soaking up small pockets of the Labyrinth's energy.

Emma nodded fervently and came to walk beside Kirash. "I'm glad you found me," she said in subdued tones. "And I'm sorry about what Jareth did to you."

"It's all in the past now. I don't care about that rat Goblin King."

Chuckling inwardly, Kirash began walking towards a dark, covered tunnel.

_And we leave Emma following Kirash away from the Castle Beyond the Goblin City...will Kirash achieve his goal? Who knows? I do! And you will if you keep reading! Please, please, please, review! It will fuel my imagination! And possibly allow Jareth more screen time...he's practically banging me on the head because I'm not focusing on him...;P_


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: Neither Jareth nor his Labyrinth is mine...Kirash and Emma are, as well as Kirash's very cool staff! Thank you to those who have reviewed, your comments are much appreciated! Again, Kirash's opinions on Jareth are his and his alone. We get a little more insight into Kirash's character here, especially in how he reacts to other people. Read on!_

* * *

**The Fall of the King**

**Six**

The inside of the tunnel was dank and smelly, and Kirash was acutely aware of the small space, and the fact that he shared it with a good-for-nothing Runner. Under normal circumstances, he never would have allowed himself to get stuck in cramped space with anyone, let alone some snivelling girl who whined about not really meaning to wish away her family. The air felt stale and rotten, and it suddenly got much harder for him to breathe.

"Are you all right?" Emma asked concernedly, perhaps hearing the sound of his laboured breaths. Kirash searched for a good excuse. What was the Aboveground phrase again? The one for a bad lung condition?

"I was an asthmatic," he wheezed. Her arm brushed against his and he shivered. Her skin felt _wrong_, too warm, and smooth, almost slimy with its slipperiness. Kirash repressed gag that was working up his throat. He immediately regretted his plan. Surely causing the girl pain wasn't worth actually spending time with her? But he knew that the Labyrinth, and consequently its Ruler, would be much more vulnerable if he betrayed Emma. He clutched desperately to his staff, and discreetly created a bubble around himself, very similar to the one he'd conjured in Temeril. Immediately his breathing eased, as though he'd come up for breath from deep underwater. Curiously, he closed his eyes for a moment as he walked, and assessed the level of magical energy around the Runner.

Kirash nearly fell backwards at the astounding amount of the Labyrinth's magical particles that were attached to her. Not that she herself was capable of magic, heavens no; she was much too temperamental and emotional for that. But the Labyrinth's magical particles were buzzing around her like a rabid flock of wasps, wild and manic, attaching themselves to any of her skin that was exposed. He wondered what would happen if he were to suddenly take all of those particles away. Would that hurt her? He hoped so. He would definitely have to attempt that before he left her in some far away passage, most likely bleeding and unconscious. He briefly pondered what he would do to her exactly, but quickly decided that he would improvise, and act as his mood saw fit.

"What do you think of the Goblin King?" Kirash asked innocently as they continued to walk in the oppressive darkness. He didn't really care about her answer; he already knew she was unhealthily infatuated with Jareth the same way every single female seemed to be. But he felt uneasy in the silence. Ever since coming to the Underground, he never felt comfortable when there was company, especially female company. He saw neither need nor purpose in finding a mate, and he preferred solitude and silence. Unless the silence was shattered by screams of agony. That was Kirash's equivalent of a relaxing sonata composed by Beethoven.

To his intense surprise, Emma began to splutter and mumble, blabbering incoherently. He had to focus to understand what she said.

"Well - erm - he's - well he's scary, and - he's evil - and he's just so cruel! I can tell he really likes to - cause - others pain..." she trailed off awkwardly, and Kirash snorted inwardly. _That is nothing, my dear_, he thought sarcastically, _compared with what I'm capable of, what I'm willing to do. The Goblin King still has a heart...softened by that ridiculously flighty Sarah Williams..._

"Go on," Kirash prompted. From the way Emma was spluttering, Kirash was sure she was blushing. Lord, did she really think Jareth was _that_ good looking? Tight breeches should be made _illegal_.

"He's very intimidating, and - scary - and goodness he dresses well, and his hair looks so shiny and soft, and his voice is just so - eerie and - oh dear, well, he is good-looking, there's no way around that," Emma babbled embarrassedly.

"Emma, don't waste your time thinking about that," Kirash said disgustedly, and, little though he actually wanted to give the girl advice, he could hardly stand to think about the way the girl had gone on about Jareth's looks. "The Goblin King only does that to distract you; he's a very vain being." He let out another noise of disgust. "Anyone who fancies that tight-wearing fluffy-headed Fae is a fool."

Emma fell silent for a very long time, and Kirash felt astonishment creeping up on him. Already, this foolish Runner was putting a high stock in Kirash's opinion. It was laughable! Handing out trust so freely was like begging to be betrayed...of course, he was planning to happily oblige, but did she really have so little a sense of self-preservation?

"I didn't mean to offend you," he said, to break the silence. "Of course, if that is what you prefer, it is not in my place to judge. I just - happen to think that the Goblin King is not worth it." The very thought of anyone ever finding _love_ was repulsive. People just used each other. Love didn't exist. But the thought of someone finding 'love' with Jareth? Or the thought of this foolish Runner thinking she could find love with Jareth? Thinking she could tame him? That was enough to make Kirash want to projectile-vomit.

"No - I - you're right, of course. He's - a King...and a nasty one at that. Plus, I guess he's old, and that would be kinda gross," the girl faltered. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "So how long does this tunnel go on for?"

Kirash was glad that she had changed the subject. He had not been expecting such a reaction to his Goblin King question. It had been like biting into a peach to suddenly find the insides were rotting and writhing with insects. It made him feel slimy to even talk about Jareth.

"Oh this tunnel is nearly at its end," he said firmly. "There are a few obstacles lying ahead, but," he added with a chuckle, "my magic should make light work of that." Emma laughed with relief, foolish relief, and Kirash joined in, if only to laugh at her. He was surprised she felt safe with him; most people had the good sense to realise that he was perfectly capable of dealing them great harm. Her danger-sense seemed to have been broken. Perhaps it was the girl herself, he reflected quietly, lapsing into a habitual silence that seemed to have her feeling more awkward than he had before. Perhaps she was just a damaged individual, weird and eclectic, like some ancient machine that for whatever reason, determinedly continued to run despite its age.

Finally, the tunnel came to an end and they were standing in dim sunlight. This section of the Labyrinth was completely coated in choking fog that smelled absolutely putrid. Kirash briefly wondered how on earth Emma could be afraid of fog until the earth gave way beneath them and they were sliding down a long, slick tube on a shred of stone. What kind of an imagination did this bizarre Runner have?

They landed in a boiling lake of underground lava. The heat rose in such intense waves that Kirash felt his hair floating around his face and he coughed. This was brutal! He looked over at the Runner, wanting to see her reaction. Predictably, her mouth hung open in horror, chin wobbling along with the movement of her shaking. Her eyes were wide and unseeing. Clearly she would be of no help. How did she even think she'd be able to run the Labyrinth at all?

Kirash closed his eyes and stretched out his hand. He knew what would do the trick. He'd create another one of his special little jewels, and throw that into the lava. It would harden the lava into stone faster than a flash freeze. He let his fingers glide over the air's magical particles, allowing his own magic to seep into the ever-solidifying black jewel until he held it firmly between his fingers. The girl gaped at him.

Violently, because he felt the need to hit something all of a sudden, and he couldn't hit the girl just yet, Kirash flung the jewel into the lava. At once, the air cooled and became surprisingly refreshing. Smirking, Kirash beckoned the dumbstruck girl forwards. She ogled him in awe, staring at his staff with a look of fascination in her eyes that disturbed Kirash. He needed her to trust him, yes, but he didn't want to see her become so interested. It was..._creepy_.

She followed him obediently, and Kirash drew in long, sharp breaths through his nose, trying to remain calm and normal. Their feet crunched on the crisply formed stone as they walked towards an ovular opening through which a dim emerald light was shining. The Forest again. At least the remaining Fireys wouldn't give him away; he had been a shadow at the time he'd cut their population in half.

Kirash's felt boots had barely touched the springy grass of the forest when the air around him tensed, and he knew that the Goblin King would be appearing very shortly.

"I must hide!" he hissed at once, causing Emma to start and gasp. Kirash shrunk himself back down into shadows so quickly that he was sure the girl thought he'd actually disappeared. Moments later, Jareth stepped out from behind a tree, his mismatched eyes focused solely on Emma, smiling an odd smile that revealed his pointed teeth. Kirash hid within Emma's shadow, watching carefully.

"My precious Emma, how did you ever manage to make it out of that lava lake without help?" he drawled, his voice low and alluring. Emma faltered, and Kirash felt a stab of fear. Would she spoil everything by allowing her infatuation with Jareth to muddle her mind so completely that she revealed Kirash's presence?

* * *

_There we are, chapter six! Jareth has appeared again (and I know many of you are probably saying "FINALLY!" and he will be there again in chapter seven, never fear. (I'm the one who should be afraid, Jareth is not very happy with me...he wants to be the star, of course...) Please continue to read and review, thank you for all of your support! :D_


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Nope. Labyrinth's not mine. I don't even own Jareth's riding crop. I just own Emma and Kirash. Yay! More dialogue, and more Jareth for all of you Goblin King fans. As always, Kirash's opinions are his own. Thank you to all who have read and reviewed so far!_

* * *

**The Fall of the King**

**Seven**

There was a very tense silence, and Kirash found himself wondering if Emma was even intelligent enough to come up with a plausible excuse. Jareth looked especially intimidating from Kirash's hiding place within Emma's shadow on the ground.

"Oh I just decided I'd - face my fears and - and I stepped on to the lake. A simple illusion. Nothing is as it seems," Emma said very quietly. Even from his lowly vantage point, Kirash could see the blush blooming across her cheeks. Jareth stepped closer to her, clearly using his proximity to unnerve her. Emma stumbled backwards.

"Really?" Jareth asked, his voice impossibly low and quiet. His eyebrow rose archly in incredulity. "And you're sure none of my subjects gave you a little nudge in the right direction?"

Kirash tensed. If this went on much longer, he'd have to possess the Runner to ensure that his presence in the Labyrinth went undetected.

"I haven't had the opportunity to befriend any of your subjects," Emma stammered. Kirash allowed himself to relax slightly. Clearly the Runner was smart enough to choose her words carefully. He could tell she'd meant for her words to sound aloof and unconcerned, but she didn't seem to have enough breath to support such a tone.

Jareth began to circle her tightly, and Kirash had to compact his shadow-self to avoid being stepped on. Not that it would hurt, but the thought of coming into contact with those detestable boots (and of course Jareth himself) made Kirash shudder. Jareth was a slimy worm, and Kirash would put him in his place as soon as he was sure victory was certain. Emma seemed to shrink (Kirash thought it was quite a feat, given her size) the closer Jareth circled. Her eyes were darting around like a caged animal's, desperately searching for an escape. Finally, when Jareth was what Kirash considered to be obscenely close (meaning a few inches away), he leaned in to whisper into Emma's ear. Her shoulders shot up visibly.

"All the same, I'd like to see you in action," Jareth hissed, sounding very like the snake Kirash thought him to be.

"What - what's that supposed to mean?" Emma spluttered, her eyes trained to a rock a few inches away from where Kirash was lurking. Jareth smiled evilly and chuckled softly into her ear. It was not the sibilant soft sound that Kirash was capable of making; it was almost warm, with a hint of mirth to it that Kirash would never possess.

"I'll make a deal with you, Emma," he proposed. His mismatched eyes never left her face, watching her chew the inside of her lip in nervousness, watching her eyes blinking rapidly. Kirash couldn't understand how he could bear staring at her for so long. And the Runner just stood there, frozen, and Kirash felt like fleeing. Surely she'd fail at whatever task Jareth would set her, and then he'd have to find some other way to weaken the Labyrinth.

"A - a deal?" Emma asked, her voice cracked. Jareth nodded.

"If you can solve my riddle, precious Emma, then I shall leave you be - for now. If, however, you cannot, I'll take two hours away from you _and_ I'll put you right back into the lava lake," he pronounced smoothly.

"Do I have a choice of whether or not I can try the riddle?" Emma asked nervously. Kirash couldn't believe she'd even waste her breath on those words. Of course Jareth wouldn't give her a choice, and Kirash grudgingly saw the wisdom in that course of action. By denying Emma any choice in the matter, Jareth was ensuring that he got what he wanted: in this case, distracting and waylaying Emma, bringing her closer to defeat. Kirash stored away the tactic for later use on Jareth himself. It would be delightful to feed the Goblin King an ironic dose of his own medicine.

"No, of course not, Emma. Where is the fun in allowing you to run away from my little challenge?" cooed Jareth. Kirash felt another wave of anxiety threatening to take him over. A Goblin King Riddle? There was no way the Runner could solve it. Perhaps he'd made a mistake in deciding to harm Emma. Would it have been better if he'd attacked the Labyrinth outright? He refused to doubt himself, however. That was the first sign of weakness. Being underhanded was always better. It allowed for the advantage of surprise. Jareth stepped even closer to Emma, breaking Kirash's train of thought.

Kirash floated into the shadow of a nearby tree, quivering with irritation. There was no point in hiding in the girl's shadow if Jareth was going to stay so close to her.

"Fine," Emma sighed exasperatedly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other anxiously. "What's the riddle?"

Surprisingly, Jareth stepped away from her, the better to watch her, Kirash guessed.

"Listen carefully, now," the Goblin King mocked before continuing. "What has a tongue, yet does not taste, eyes that do not see, and a soul that wears away after time has passed?"

Emma's jaw dropped, and the sight would have been comical if Kirash hadn't been so irritated by this pointless waste of time. Why was she so stupid? Jareth began circling her again, and Emma began to fidget uncomfortably, her eyes welling with tears.

"C-could you - please - could you just - move away?" she pleaded softly, closing her eyes tightly. Kirash was not expecting Jareth to obey her - he certainly would not have - so it surprised him when the Goblin King backed away yet again, watching her intensely. Then Kirash realised with an acute shock of disgust that Jareth _wanted_ Emma to solve the riddle. Granted, Kirash did too, despite how much he hated the girl, but Jareth was the Master of the Labyrinth! And a Master should never, ever desire for someone to best him. Kirash only wanted Emma to solve the blasted riddle so that they could move on to a far corner of the Labyrinth where he could beat her or knock her out or leave her bleeding alone.

A fresh wave of hate and contempt filled Kirash. This was precisely why Jareth hardly deserved to be the Labyrinth's Ruler. He was a soft, ridiculous fool, whose heart had been irreparably damaged by one foolish mortal girl who had defeated the Labyrinth centuries ago. He could be cruel when he wanted to, and intimidating, and even powerful. But his desire to impress seemed less and less with each passing Runner. It was pathetic, it was sickening, and it was infuriating. Trying to clear the haze of his rage, Kirash watched Emma again. Her eyes were still closed in acute concentration and she was chewing on her lip, clearly thinking very hard.

Silence fell, and reigned, for a very long time, or so it seemed to Kirash. He was growing frustrated. Remaining a shadow was not what he had in mind, and he didn't feel like waiting forever until Emma solved or failed the riddle. Jareth was perched on a nearby stone, still staring at Emma with an unreadable expression that was utterly alien to Kirash. Emma was still chewing her lip, concentrating, her face twitching as she clearly ran through different ideas and answers.

Kirash seriously contemplated invading her mind. He had figured out the answer to the riddle as soon as Jareth had asked it (partly because he'd heard it once before), and it would be easier simply to force Emma's mouth to form the answer, rather than waiting for her to come up with it on her own. It would be a relatively easy task. All Kirash had to do was extend a small tendril of himself encased in magic. He would allow his magic to enter her bloodstream and then he would travel up her spine to her brain, where he could sort through her thoughts and then gain control of her motor skills and movements in order to force her to solve the riddle.

He was just about to do so when Emma's eyes snapped open in revelation. Jareth started back into movement, a fluid motion that had him immediately in front of the girl at once.

"Well?" he prompted arrogantly. For once, Emma raised her eyes to meet his defiantly, and Kirash wondered where her sudden courage had come from.

"I've solved your riddle. I can't believe I didn't see it right away!" she said eagerly, her cheeks flushing again. If Kirash had still been in his human form he would have leaned forwards to hear her answer. Jareth did, placing himself mere inches away from Emma's face, which seemed to make her breathless all of a sudden. Kirash wanted to slap them both, to shake them out of the bizarre trance that seemed to have seized them.

"And what is the answer?" Jareth asked smoothly. Kirash could not believe the waste of time. He should just come out and throttle Jareth to death now, and then he could be finished! But of course, there would be no amusement in that...

"A shoe," Emma replied confidently. "A shoe has a tongue that doesn't taste, eyes that don't see, and a sole that wears away after time has passed."

* * *

_There's chapter seven! That took me forever to put up...I went to see The Dark Knight, and that kind of took over my mind for a while. Incidentally, if you have not seen it yet...GO. IT. IS. AMAZING. Again, thanks to everyone who is reading, please review, let me know what you think of the story and of the riddle!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: As much as I wish I do, I don't own the Labyrinth. I just own Kirash in all of his wickedness and Emma. Thank you to all who have been reading so far, your support is appreciated._

* * *

**The Fall of the King**

**Eight**

Jareth's face twisted into an expression of surprise, and then into one of amused disappointment.

"You are correct," he conceded, sounding pleased. He made a mocking little bow, and Kirash felt the urge to throttle him immediately resurface. Even if Emma had solved the riddle, it was perfectly within Jareth's rights - scratch that, _duties_ - to trick Emma anyways, deny that she'd solved the riddle, and place her in a new time-wasting situation. It was disgusting how easily he admitted defeat to a weak, ugly, pathetic little girl, a mortal, a Runner. Emma, on her part, was looking indecently smug, a triumphant smirk playing at her pink lips. Kirash would never allow anyone to smirk at him so disrespectfully.

"You can leave now," she told Jareth, who bowed again, but as he backed away, a clock appeared behind him and two of her hours vanished in two seconds. He grinned wickedly, revealing his slightly pointed teeth, and Kirash tried to suppress his exasperation. Finally Jareth decided to exhibit sneakiness - after he'd already lost.

"What did you do that for?!" Emma stammered dazedly.

"I said I'd leave _you_ be, not your time. And I'm not going to drop you into the lava lake, which I would have if you'd failed to solve my riddle. I only said if you failed, I'd take away two hours and I'd put you back on the lava lake," sneered Jareth. Kirash was astounded at how quickly Jareth had morphed from an embarrassment to the icy cruel Goblin King, and he felt another stab of fear. Was he ready to challenge Jareth? He knew he was when he looked at the disappearing Goblin King and noticed that his nasty expression didn't reach his eyes. The Goblin King's eyes were dimly lit with an expression Kirash didn't recognize. They looked...empty, somehow, a mixture of pain and something that looked like loss but wasn't.

And then Kirash and Emma were alone once more. Emma looked like she was trying hard not to cry. Kirash waited a few minutes, just in case Jareth was planning on coming back, and then he finally relaxed his hold on the magical particles he'd been forcing to hold him in his shadow form. It was a natural, involuntary reaction, like breathing. His cells and particles rearranged until he was standing by the tree, stretching his legs out with a wry smile. Emma's mouth hung open slightly; she was wearing that awed expression that Kirash hated. Then she smiled in tentative relief. Kirash repressed a shudder and walked towards her, forcing himself to smile. It probably looked more like a grimace.

"Good job," he said quietly, readjusting his robes studiously so that Emma would not notice the insincerity in his face. When he looked back up she was beaming. Kirash was struck again by the girl's willingness to place such a high standing on his opinion. He hoped she wouldn't start staring at him like she did with Jareth; it was unnatural and perverse.

"That was a really tough riddle," she said modestly. "I'm surprised I managed to solve it at all. And he still took away some of my time! That's so unfair!" She stamped her foot on the ground ridiculously, and Kirash looked away. Her body jiggled too much when her fit made contact with the earth; it was sickening to watch.

"Yes, well, being unfair is something the Goblin King excels at," Kirash reminded her sharply, staring at his staff intently until her body stopped quivering. The girl nodded solemnly.

"Nothing is as it seems here," she said monotonously. Then her expression brightened again. "And he didn't even find you! I didn't even know where you were hiding," she added, sounding overly impressed.

"Well, when the Goblin King is out to get you, you learn how to hide very well," Kirash said absently as he began to walk, Emma following without question. Kirash craned his neck to try and see around the many trees of the forest, contemplating which path he should take to lead her inconspicuously away from the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Once again, Emma hurried up until her stride matched his, and she was walking alongside him rather than behind him. Kirash wrinkled his nose in disgust and tried to pass it off as a potential sneeze. She didn't notice. Her overbearing cheerfulness was starting to get on Kirash's nerves as well, so he brought up a subject he knew would make her uncomfortable.

"Emma, I have to ask, why did you let the Goblin King distract you so badly?" he asked her, as though he was actually concerned. Hardly. Emma's breath hitched a little before she answered him in a subdued voice.

"He's just a very - distracting person. I don't think I could help it," she said minutely, her eyes far off.

"Well, if we come up against him again, try, for my sake, not to ogle at him like some famous actor or something," Kirash reprimanded her, being careful to keep his tone light so as not to sound too disgusted. Emma nodded, blushing.

"Sorry, Kirash," (a shiver of repulsion slithered down Kirash's spine when she said his name), "I'll try. Jareth is just so..._mysterious_. I know I'm being stupid, and honestly, if you hadn't told me earlier to just forget him, I would have gotten way more distracted."

"You really take my opinion that seriously? We just met," Kirash said incredulously. Emma nodded innocently.

"Well, yes, but you're helping me, aren't you? You're the first friend I've come across here," she murmured with wide eyes. Kirash nodded as though her answer interested him and returned his gaze ahead.

"I suppose. I just have always been of the opinion that trust is a very sacred gift that has to be given out only after it has truly been earned," Kirash lied. He never trusted anyone. That was a foolish habit, and one that could only get you in trouble. If he were to tell others his secrets, they would use it against him, just as he would use any of her secrets and fears against her. Surprisingly, they came up against no more obstacles in the forest, although Kirash wondered if he had so frightened the Fireys earlier that they daren't show themselves again. The magical atmosphere was definitely subdued in the forest, lacking the Fireys' exuberant energy. Emma fell silent for a long time, and Kirash grew uncomfortable again. He would have to dispose of her soon. He didn't know how much longer he could stand these awkward silences, or the fact that she seemed to be trying to get closer to him every time he paused to take stock of their location.

They finally exited the forest, only to find themselves mired in another unearthly fog that made Emma walk very slowly. She cowered, and tried to press herself even closer to Kirash. He shuddered every time her arm brushed against his. He was just about to ask her to back off when something seized his ankle and yanked, hard. Emma fell with a squeal that grated on Kirash's ears, and then she began to scream in terror.

"Get off, get off, get off, get off!" she was shrieking. Rolling his eyes, Kirash swiped his staff through the air, imagining it to be a massive pole of fire. He dropped lightly to the ground and brushed himself off. Emma was still shrieking, and Kirash couldn't see her. He closed his eyes. He'd need to lift this fog. He held out his staff horizontally, and focused on the magic particles within the fog. He asked them softly to come to him, much in the same way he'd absorbed the power of the Heart of Temeril. The fog obeyed him at once, and he compacted it into a small ball that he hurled far away before turning to face Emma again. His eyebrows rose as he watched the scene before him.

Hundreds of sleek, thin snakes were writhing around her like vines, suspending her in the air. They were squeezing the girl, cutting off her air supply, and her shrieks were growing hoarser and broken. Sighing, Kirash slammed his staff down on the ground, and the snakes dissolved into the fog they'd arisen from. He suddenly realised that the fog was the unnamed fears that Emma harboured, and the longer she stood within it, the easier it would be for some fear of hers to solidify and attack until she was brave enough to face them. Emma fell to the ground gracelessly, her face stained with tears. Kirash was struck again by how pathetic she was. Couldn't he have come up against a more beautiful, courageous Runner? Someone who would at least have the possibility of catching his eye in the street? He decided right there and then that the next place they went would be as far away from the castle as he could manage it, and then he would leave her. As fun as the attack would be, he couldn't draw this mindless game on anymore. Emma was a nuisance, and it would be better if he finished the job, that way he could move on to taking over the Labyrinth.

Sighing, he walked over to where Emma had landed hard on her rear end, and extended a hand towards her to help her stand. She took his hand gratefully, and he was shocked by how warm her hand was compared to his. He let go quickly.

"We should keep moving," he said to her abruptly. Emma nodded and then hung her head, tears in her eyes again.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice breaking on a sob.

"No problem," Kirash muttered falsely before striding forwards again. The girl sniffled a few more times before her voice suddenly went back to its cheery tone.

"So where are we headed now?"

* * *

_There is chapter eight! Hope you enjoyed it, and thank you, once again, to all who are reading. Keep reviewing please, I love to hear your opinions._


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Sigh...I don't own the Labyrinth, just Kirash and his evil scheme and poor Emma. On with the tale now, and I have changed the rating for the story to T for this chapter. It was difficult to write. _

* * *

**The Fall of the King**

**Nine**

Kirash walked a few paces forwards before deciding to answer. "Towards the Castle, where else?" he replied, his teeth clenched together in irritation.

"I know that," Emma replied, her voice almost ... was she _teasing_ him? Lord, he felt like vomiting. "I meant, where particularly in the Labyrinth are we headed?" Kirash rolled his eyes when she was looking away. Why did she need to know all the details?

"I'm not exactly sure. The way the Labyrinth works - it changes every time it is challenged by a Runner," Kirash said, though in truth, he knew exactly where he was leading her: away from the Castle, towards a distant part of the Labyrinth that never changed. It was a barren grassland, hot and dry, and it was lonely.

"That sounds reasonable," Emma said, nodding. "Let's get going then," she added enthusiastically, reaching forwards and grabbing his hand before he had time to react. Kirash yanked his hand out of hers, feeling horrified. Since when did she think she could just - reach out and touch him so freely? Emma faltered, looking awkward. Realising he had made a slight error in reacting so automatically, Kirash stretched his hand out and tried to come up with an excuse for his actions that would still allow her to trust him.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I - don't - I don't like - physical - I've never -," Kirash continued, feeling ridiculous. Why did he have to fake this asinine mental condition in order to maintain her trust? He wanted to throttle her almost as badly as he had wished to crush Jareth's throat earlier. To his surprise, Emma wasn't bothered. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"That's fine. It's just a habit for me. My friends back home - well, if we were going on an adventure, we would pull each other forwards. I didn't know it would bother you," she said apologetically. Kirash nearly snarled. She felt sorry? How was it that she could be so - so infuriating? Kirash worked his muscles into a smile that used to be dashing before his appearance had been wasted by Jareth.

"Thank you for understanding," he said smoothly, his voice quieter than usual; a signal of his anger. The angrier he was, the quieter his voice tended to become. He looked away from her and continued to walk forwards, wishing for silence now. He remembered how he had hated the silence with her when they'd first met. Now, he didn't want to hear her inane chattering any longer. Emma followed, seemingly comfortable with the silence. And then Kirash focused back on her words. Her 'friends back home', she had said. Did that mean that she considered him to be a friend? She had said that earlier too, that he was the first friend she'd met in the Labyrinth...Kirash shuddered. He would never allow himself to be connected in any way to such a weak excuse for an individual. And he didn't have time for friends.

"Kirash?" she said after a while. The inquiring note in her voice mixed with something tentative, and Kirash realised she was about to ask him a sensitive question. He began to walk faster, wishing to reach the far corner of the Labyrinth soon.

"Yes?" he replied evenly. Emma paused.

"How did it come about that Jareth decided to - to - do that to your face?" she asked in a small voice. Kirash almost sighed. Hadn't he told her the story already? He calmed himself by reflecting upon the sweet note her screams were sure to create when they reached the grassland.

"I'd rather not talk about it," he said, manipulating his voice to sound traumatized. Emma nodded.

"Sorry. I'm just curious. I want to understand you better. You seem to understand me so well," she responded kindly. Kirash shook his head.

"You don't want to understand me, Emma," he said honestly, his voice finally revealing the hard edge of his anger. "It would frighten you too much." She fell silent again, and thankfully, she also trailed behind him rather than next to him, so he wouldn't have to look at her. Oddly, they encountered no more obstacles after the fog, and Kirash sensed that Jareth had ordered the Labyrinth to be easy on her. Or perhaps the Labyrinth sensed that she was walking away from her goal rather than towards it, and therefore decided that there was no point in waylaying her from failing.

At long last, they reached the location Kirash had been searching for. They stood together on the edge of a vast, bleak plain that seemed to stretch on for an impossibly large amount of space. There was grass, but it was yellow, parched, and brittle. The dirt clouded up when Kirash's foot touched it. There was a harsh, warm breeze, and hardly any trees, save for one, mangled, black shot of lightning sprouting up from the ground about twenty feet from where they stood. This would mark the place where Kirash would leave her. It was perfectly desolate.

Emma shivered beside him, unnerved by her surroundings. Kirash rolled his eyes. It seemed she was unnerved by everything: fog, snakes, lava, Jareth...Weak. That was the only word he could think of to describe her. Weak. And ugly, that was a good word too, one he had rarely used once he'd come to the Labyrinth. He never saw women anymore, and he had been a budding womanizer Aboveground. But he had no time for them now. They got attached and ruined plans with their whining about relationships and _love_, that pathetically disgusting excuse for remaining with anybody past the point of convenience.

The magical atmosphere here was charged, like a lightning storm, but the particles were not active as they were in the rest of the Labyrinth. Something had happened here, long ago, to take the life out of this section. The only wildly active magical particles were the ones seething around Emma like a hurricane cloud. Kirash longed to just take the energy away right now, to gain another notch of power over Jareth. But he wanted to have his fun with Emma first. She had been so aggravating, so trusting, so soft, that he couldn't deny himself the fun of drawing out her pain. Not now.

He walked towards the black gnarled tree, and Emma followed obediently, so trusting and foolish. She was looking around curiously, her eyes confused. She had finally noticed how far away they were from the castle. Kirash began to calm himself, and to prepare for a strong onslaught of magical energy. He flexed his hands, allowing them to glory in the sensation of feeling the magical particles of the air slide through his fingers. He paused a few feet away from the tree, and set his staff down firmly in front of him, closing his eyes in concentration. He started when Emma's hand descended tentatively upon his bent elbow.

"What now?" he snarled. She recoiled in shock.

"I was just wondering what - what's going on," she said in a restrained voice. "We - we seem to be very far from the Goblin City." Kirash closed his eyes again, and allowed his true smile to take over his face. It was a sardonic grimace that made his hideous face only that much more frightening.

"Yes. We are. The Goblin City is very far away," he replied in a hiss that seemed to wrap around the air and choke it. He opened his eyes at last, and bestowed upon Emma the most hateful glare he could manage. She shrank back, looking frightened.

"Kirash? What's wrong with you?" she asked, her voice shaking. Finally. Kirash laughed softly.

"Nothing is _wrong_ with me, Emma. We have finally arrived where I wished to be," he said. Emma looked around again.

"Is there a shortcut to the City here or something?"

Kirash exploded at the proof of her stupidity. "No, you foolish little girl! I cannot believe you trusted me so easily! There is no shortcut! You were just an expendable tool I used to further my own goals," he snapped. He raised his staff slightly, and Emma gasped.

"What do you mean?"

"Your time is up, Runner. The Labyrinth will weaken itself when it thinks you have been done true physical harm thanks to its magic..." Kirash whispered, his lips curling into a sneer. He finally felt freed, and he brought his staff swiping through the air, directing the magical particles towards her. A gash, angry and red, appeared across her arm. Emma staggered back, her eyes sparkling with shocked tears. Kirash laughed quietly. He commanded the magic particles around her to lift up, and he threw her into the gnarled tree. The snapping sound he heard satisfied him greatly, and he walked towards her, enjoying the sight of her finally cowering, her eyes shining with the hurt at his betrayal.

"I thought you were going to help me!" she sobbed weakly. Kirash bent down, the last time he'd ever put himself so close to her on purpose.

"You should have learned by now, Emma," he hissed venomously, "that nothing is as it seems in the Labyrinth..." He stretched his hand out and seized the magical particles that had attached themselves to her. He pulled, hard, tugging the magic towards himself. His body seemed to be tingling with the sudden influx of magic, and Emma screamed piercingly. He paused, intensely intrigued, as he watched the effect that this had on the Runner. Her skin paled immediately to a chalky white and her eyes clouded up. Her lips turned blue, and yet she still writhed in agony. Kirash tilted his head to the side like an interested scientist. He wondered what her blood would look like now. He formed a sharp point at the bottom of his staff and raked it across her side.

Emma bled, but it was almost black, her blood, thick, and glutinous. It pooled around her sluggishly like toxic tar. She moaned in pain, her voice cracked and weak. Kirash smiled, and brought his staff down on her leg, chuckling when he heard it snap like a twig.

"Why?" Emma managed to croak as Kirash circled her, wondering if he should do any more damage. He didn't know if he wanted her to die or not, but Jareth had to find her alive. Kirash smirked.

"Because, firstly, you have been driving me insane since I met you. You trusted me so easily, when clearly you should not have. You are weak. You are hideous. You are so easily swayed by the Goblin King, who is a weakling himself. I need to control the Labyrinth. You were just a tool I could use to make Jareth's defeat that much easier," he told her quietly. He paused again. Her body wasn't even shivering. It was utterly still, but for the shallow rising and falling of her chest. He began to walk away. Then he turned back to face her one last time.

"And Emma?" he added cruelly. "My appearance was destroyed by Jareth the first time I tried to take over, when I was naive. But thanks to you, he will be destroyed this time."

With that, Kirash called upon the magical particles of the wind to fling him back to the entrance of the Labyrinth. He watched it contort and writhe in pain as it realised the Runner had been done harm. Jareth would make himself and the Labyrinth vulnerable soon, and that was when Kirash would enter with the Goblin King's knowledge.

He waited.

* * *

_Thank you to all who have read and reviewed. Your support is much appreciated! A hug goes to .Beckoning.Disaster. whose reviews always make me smile! So now we all can see how dastardly Kirash is, and the plan is beginning to roll. I have been thinking about switching the POV to either Jareth or Emma for one chapter, in which our favourite Goblin King finds Emma and works to save her life. Is that an option you would like to read? Please let me know via your reviews if I should try that. Otherwise, the story shall continue in Kirash's POV. _

_This may be my last update for about a week and a half, I'm going on vacation in a few days and I don't know if I'll have the time to update again. But don't worry, I'll bring my notebook and write chapters while I'm on the beach!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: I'm baaack! Sorry it took me so long to get this up, but reading on the beach doesn't leave much time for writing! I don't own the Labyrinth, nor any of its characters save for Kirash and Emma. And back to the story we go!_

* * *

**The Fall of the King**

**Ten**

There was a horrible, wrenching, tearing noise. The Labyrinth was rolling and writhing like some great worm, and the screams of all of the inhabitants of the maze were screaming in one great harmonious cry of agony. Kirash could even see tears in the fabric of the Labyrinth from his vantage point. He smirked. Hurting Emma was most assuredly the best idea he had acted out since instigating his plan to take over the Labyrinth. Her pain was the best attack he could have conceived. Kirash commanded the magical particles within his own body to allow him to see the shield of the Labyrinth, and watch it dissolve into various, porous weak spots near the top of the odd bubble that surrounded the Labyrinth. The shield was pulsing in pain now, a testament to its very great power. It would take months to restore the shield, for which Kirash was grateful, because his plan should not take months. However, no other region in the Underground could repair its shield or its land with such speed.

Satisfied that lasting damage had been done, Kirash turned his back on the Labyrinth and retreated into the forest to sleep in his tower for one night. Come morning, he would knock on the gates of the Labyrinth and demand to see King Jareth. He would request lodgings within the Goblin City as a guest, because his home had imploded (Jareth, of course, had no way of knowing that Kirash had been the one to cause Temeril to implode). Kirash could imagine the expression that would come over Jareth's face then, a great, contorted, furious expression that would make the Goblin King look like he was having problems expelling his own waste.

The forest was quiet when Kirash stepped beneath the leafy canopy. Normally, at least until he got closer towards his tower, the forest was full of chirping birds and stupid little animals who weren't smart enough to get out of his way. But now, perhaps in reaction to the palpable pain of the Labyrinth and of its Master, the forest was stiflingly quiet. Kirash sighed in relief. It was finally peaceful. Smiling serenely, he walked through the underbrush, his black robe making slithering hisses in his wake. The dead leaves barely cruched beneath his light tread. The trees began to thicken, and finally a level of darkness was restored. Materializing out of the gloom was his magnificent tower, and his body relaxed as the comforting dark particles of his tower enveloped him.

Kirash did not remember climbing up the stairs to his chambers; he could have floated and he wouldn't have noticed. The exertions he had put himself through in the Labyrinth, as well as the amount of magic he had consumed in the course of his "run" through the Labyrinth had rendered him more exhausted than he'd ever been in his life. His bedsheets seemed to have liquefied, and they surrounded him as though he had sunk into a thick bowl of steaming pudding. Kirash felt inexplicable warmth slide over his muscles and soothe them, massaging them into oblivion...

_The light that woke him was not bright enough to be sunlight. It was vague and dim. Kirash knew it immediately to be the low light of daybreak obscured by thick clouds. He could hear the rain pouring out of his window and smiled. It was a beautiful day. He opened his eyes and stretched luxuriously, something he rarely did, but these black silken sheets were just so comfortable..._

_Kirash paused. His sheets were green, weren't they? He pushed back the covers and surveyed his room, which was larger and grander than he remembered it to be. Confused, but pleased, Kirash summoned his robe to him, forming it around him rather than choosing it out of his wardrobe. Somehow, simple magic seemed far easier than it had been before. He went to pick up his staff and noticed next to it an ornate silver crown. Kirash paused, quirking his eyebrow. Since when had he owned a silver crown? That only ever belonged to kings...and this particular crown had goblins wrought ingeniously into sinuous designs..._

_Then it hit him. He had done it! He was the Goblin King! He controlled the Labyrinth! But why did he not remember destroying Jareth? He would have remembered that, clearly, because it was sure to have been so pleasurable. And did Emma finally die, or was Jareth able to save her before he was defeated. _

_Kirash swept out of his chambers, determined to find Jareth, for surely he had locked him into a dungeon hole so that he could taunt him every day with his loss. He was pleased to see that those filthy snot-nosed goblins cowered in fear every time he neared them; indeed, he even felt the need to kick a few, and did, viciously vaulting one unfortunate snub-nosed creature through an open window. _

_A rigorous search through the dungeons turned up nothing; had Kirash killed Jareth then? Shrugging his shoulders, but content with having achieved his goal, Kirash set out to find the throne room, so that he could plot his takeover of the Underground with his newly acquired power. _

_The day was fairly uneventful, and Kirash really could not find a conceivably sneaky way to conrol the Underground without resorting to open war, which really was too messy for him. As he was stalking back to his chambers, possessed by the foulest of dispositions, he felt the earth beneath him rock. There was a runner in the Labyrinth. But his heart had felt an odd tug, like something magnetic had suddenly popped up into being. He saw the girl's face in his head and started. But that was Sarah Williams! The foolish tramp who had already defeated the Labyrinth! And why was she not a grown woman? And there was a baby screaming in the throne room. Kirash looked at her again, astonished that his heart was suddenly thudding at the thought of the girl. What was going on? He ran a hand frustratedly through his hair, and one came loose. Bored, nervous, Kirash looked at the hair, and was astonished to see that it was not its customary silver. No, it was blonde, platinum blonde._

_Suddenly worried, Kirash ran to his chambers, desperate to see his reflection. He could not possibly be blonde..._

_Pictured within the mirror was a man possessing a ridiculously teased puff of blonde hair, high cheekbones, and piercingly mismatched eyes. Jareth the Goblin King. Kirash raised his hand to prod the glass. Jareth raised his own to point accusingly at Kirash with shocked eyes. It was then that Kirash realized that he wasn't Kirash. He wasn't Kirash the Goblin King. He was Jareth the Goblin King._

Kirash catapulted out of his bed screaming so hard his lungs felt as though they had been torn from his chest. Thankfully, his sheets were emerald once more; after a hurried check, his hair was still silvery. Kirash had never before been so thankful for his marred appearance. How could he possibly have had such a horrible nightmare? He didn't know what was worse, discovering that he was Jareth or feeling that odd magnetic pull towards Sarah Williams, akin to the attraction he'd once felt for many women Aboveground?

Shuddering, Kirash stumbled over to his wardrobe, mercifully simple and full of only his black robes. He pulled one over his head, feeling drunk and disoriented. It would not do to allow himself to become so frazzled after only one nightmare, especially when victory was so close on the horizon.

To calm himself, Kirash decided to scry: he would see what was going on in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. He wanted to know whether Emma had actually died. Using his hands, he spread the magical particles into a thin screen before him and concentrated on Jareth. What he saw astounded him.

Emma lay prone and unmoving on a marble table, Jareth bent over her like he was sobbing. Did that mean that she was dead then? But no, her skin was slowly returning back to pink, and Jareth was shuddering because a faint stream of magical particles was flowing from him into the Runner. Jareth's face was strained, and he looked like he was in pain. Kirash nearly cackled. This was perfect! Not only had the Labyrinth harmed itself, but Jareth was weakening himself too, and all because Emma's pain was against the rules of the Labyrinth! He was wasting his power on a worthless thing! The image seemed to speed a bit, and Kirash realized he had summoned up an image of what had happened in the Labyrinth while he was sleeping. Now the girl was sitting up, looking weak and shaky, and at first she began shouting and sobbing, angry, it seemed, before she slumped back onto the marble table, her eyes going oddly blank. She was staring straight ahead. The Goblin King was trying to make her show some form of energy. She was utterly unresponsive, in a kind of waking coma.

Kirash found this behaviour intriguing. He wondered whether it was in reaction to his betrayal or the violent and sudden removal of her magical essence. She was speaking to Jareth though, giving him monotonous, one word answers. He seemed most displeased, and seemed to be discoursing passionately to her. She refused to listen to him. Kirash was almost impressed. Her odd fascination with Jareth seemed to have evaporated.

Kirash waved away the screen impatiently. He had seen enough to know that Jareth was not up to fighting anyone or anything, enough to know that Emma had survived, but seemed damaged; whether it was mentally or physically he did not care. He turned to leave his tower. It was time he made his way into the Goblin City.

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_Thank you to all of you who have been reading, your support and reviews are always appreciated and always make me smile! As always, please leave your comments for me to go over and use to better my story. _


	11. Chapter 11

_Author's Note: Nope. Labyrinth's not mine. Not Jareth. But I do own Emma and Kirash. Read on to see our favourite Goblin King once more!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Eleven**

Kirash left his tower quickly, deciding he would walk to the Labyrinth's gates; he still felt shaky after that awful nightmare and he didn't want to waste energy transporting twice. Only the Goblin King could transport directly to the Goblin City from anywhere in the Underground. Other magical beings had to do so from the Labyrinth's entrance. The forest was still once again, and Kirash used it to calm himself. He could not afford any signs of unease or nerves once he entered Jareth's domain. A nasty smile began to slowly twist his face.

As the light brightened, Kirash's delighted smile transformed into an icily arrogant expression, ready for his first confrontation with Jareth in centuries. The Labyrinth itself was eerily quiet as the sun struggled to reach it through thick, black storm clouds. Kirash walked boldly up to the Labyrinth's gate. Then he focused on deconstructing his body and reforming himself in the entrance of the Goblin City. It took much longer than usual due to all the shields Kirash had to transform himself through. It also was considerably more exhausting. Because victory was near, Kirash enjoyed the sensation of sliding through Jareth's shields more than he usually would have. Jareth's shields all gave way eventually, giving Kirash the most dizzying sensation of control he'd ever experienced. Surely this meant that Jareth would give way too, and Kirash would be victorious. When he felt his solid body finally reforming within the Goblin City, he had to hold out his arms to steady himself for a moment. Soon, he would be the ruler of this filthy city, and it would then be pristine, washed clean of its Goblin Filth in the rain from his storms.

Kirash opened his eyes to a quiet city yet to rise for the day's activities. The small, winding streets were empty, the stones caked with mud. The small gutters on each side of the streets were clogged with unidentifiable detritus, and smelled rank. Garbage was littered across the streets like fallen leaves in autumn. Disgusted, Kirash swept through the streets like a wraith, his robes billowing behind him impressively. The layout of this ridiculous city, he thought, was as asinine as it was confusing. The streets wound around and looped back into each other, criss-crossing at odd angles and odd locations, making it near impossible for any normal being to easily traverse the city to get to the Castle. Then again, maybe that was the point, but Kirash would still have preferred an orderly city, with magical obstacles to impede any Runner, rather than a winding mess of roads and homes.

Finally, and beginning to feel slightly irritated, Kirash reached the gates to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Smirking, he knocked upon the door three times, listening to the resounding echoes of his fist striking the solid wood of the door. There was silence for a while. He had just raised his hand to try knocking again when the door was opened and a goblin of short stature and orange-coloured skin was revealed. The goblins bright green eyes widened at once. Clearly this was a goblin possessing above-average intelligence, for he seemed to know who Kirash was.

"Black Mage, you have no place here. King Jareth will not see you," the goblin said, having the audacity to sound imperious and authoritative. Kirash bent down to sneer at the little goblin.

"Tell your king that I have come to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City as a refugee guest seeking his hospitality. The rules of his upbringing will not allow him to refuse me lodgings. I must see him immediately," Kirash snarled fiercely, slamming his staff down on the stone steps to emphasize his point.

Looking dubious, the goblin slammed the door shut and Kirash could hear him scuttling away quickly through the door, clearly off to find his Lord and ask whether or not Kirash had the right to come as a visitor. Kirash could wait. He knew Jareth would have to let him in. Kirash took a step back and surveyed Jareth's castle. It was a haphazard building that was oddly beautiful for all of its mismatched parts; wings and towers added by Goblin King after Goblin King, some constructed of the hardest stone, others wrought from the most delicate blue-crystal favoured by so many of the Fae. Jagged towers pierced the sky, offset by bulbous round growths that looked oddly like Jareth's crystal balls. It was massive. It would be Kirash's, one way or another. Kirash was already trying to find a good location in which to place his tower. Perhaps on the far left, up at the top between that tower and that shining turret?

Kirash's musings were broken by the door re-opening, the same little goblin reappearing with an unreadable expression on his face.

"His Majesty has decreed that, as an outlaw and a criminal, you have no right to come seeking hospitality," the goblin said in clipped tones that very nearly belied irritation. Kirash felt his own anger rising.

"Then you can tell His Majesty that he has broken the rules of Underground Courtesy and I am coming to find him whether he likes it or not," Kirash hissed softly. The goblin shivered and ran off, making to slam the door shut again, but not before Kirash stuck his foot in the door and slithered into the Castle. The Entrance hall was quieter than a mausoleum and Kirash's footsteps echoed weirdly off the abstract protrusions and various Jareth-statues that inhabited the cavernous space. Kirash paused, searching the Castle for a hint of the Goblin King's distinctive, flamboyant magical signature, usually the sensation of gritty pink glitter.

Kirash was rather surprised when his searching turned up a private garden in which Jareth was sitting with Emma, the Runner. Intrigued, Kirash quickly transported himself to the garden, a much easier feat now that he was inside the Labyrinth's protective wards.

The garden was like a miniature Labyrinth, with hedges creating a maze-like shape, dotted with massive roses of the richest reds, pinks, whites, and blacks. There were neatly trimmed trees alternating with stone fountains that varied in decoration from plain functional stone to wildly ornate pools of writhing goblins and water. Disgusted by what clearly was an obvious waste of magic, Kirash stalked through the hedges, flattening massive patches of lush green grass in his wake.

When he finally found Jareth, Kirash nearly laughed. Of course he would have found Jareth here. The Goblin King was seated in an ingenious rooty throne at the base of a massive oak tree whose arms extended over the whole of the clearing, creating a leafy copy of his throne room. Emma sat on the ground in her own rooty little chair, but she was staring straight ahead into space, her face on the verge of perpetual horror mixed with agony, pain, and unbearable sadness. The little orange goblin was standing at his Liege's side, looking anxiously from Kirash to Jareth. Jareth's jaw was twitching.

"Why have you come here, Black Mage Kirash?" Jareth snarled, his mouth strangling on Kirash's name, a sound of pure hatred issuing forth from his throat.

"It's quite simple, really, Goblin King," Kirash replied disdainfully. "Temeril has imploded. Since I survived, I am now homeless. It is your duty as Fae royalty to offer me your hospitality. I am a refugee, an unlucky victim of unfortunate circumstances, and you have no right to refuse my entrance into the Goblin City, or refuse me quarters in the Castle. The place which you provided for me for my lodgings is no more; technically, I am no longer an exile. I have returned home."

Jareth's face contorted into exactly the expression Kirash had imagined it would. Then it blanked out in one smooth expression.

"Fine. But I don't want to see you at all, you traitorous whelp. Chokitel here will shadow you in all your dealings for the length of your stay in the Goblin City, until I can find new lodgings for you," the Goblin King spat hatefully, waving his arm regally. The cold Goblin King was back. Kirash marvelled at Jareth's ability to switch so easily between vastly different sides of himself: the cold, cruel Goblin King, the wicked, conniving Goblin King, the soft, weak Goblin King, the Goblin King with a heart that beats for female Runners...

Kirash made a mocking bow in Jareth's direction, and then turned to Emma with a smirk.

"And who is this?" he asked cruelly. Emma's head snapped up, and the moment her eyes focused on his face, she shrank back against the tree, shaking and sobbing incoherently. Kirash smirked. "Is this a Runner?" he continued. "Well, Goblin King, I am surprised. I never thought you'd actually start keeping the Runners. Is she entertaining you greatly?"

Emma hugged herself and cried out in a wordless murmur of pain. Jareth's jaw set furiously.

"No. She was injured during the course of her Run, and is recovering in my Castle," he replied. "It is none of your business. Clearly, you frighten her, and in the hopes of a speedy recovery, I am demanding here and now that you do not go near her." Kirash smirked.

"Oh I wouldn't, Goblin King. I wouldn't touch that hideous creature with a ten-foot staff," he chuckled nastily, shooting an evil glare in Emma's direction. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed again. Satisfied, Kirash turned to take his leave. "Thank you for your hospitality," he added mockingly, looking back at Jareth once more before disappearing into the hedges, shadowed swiftly by the orange goblin.

Now the fun would truly begin.

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_Thank you once again to all of you who have been following and reviewing my story. It seems that the moment we returned from vacation, the busyness must resume madly, though school is still a few weeks away..._

_I will try to update more regularly, as Kirash is irritated he hasn't won the Labyrinth for himself yet and Jareth is demanding why I haven't allowed him to trump Kirash in a single cloud of sparkly glitter..._

_Heh. Please read and review! :D_


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: You all know it, I don't own the Labyrinth, not even one strand of Jareth's shiny hair...haha. Sorry for the length between updates! Writer's Block is an evil curse, as is Back to School shopping and preparations...Onward, ho!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Twelve**

Once Kirash had been shown a small, sparse little room by the orange goblin, he set to exploring Jareth's home, looking for points of vulnerability. He could already feel his control spreading throughout the Labyrinth thanks to the little pockets of himself he'd deposited before he'd met Emma.

Thankfully, he did not run into any of those filthy little beings that Jareth deigned to call subjects, with the exception of Chokitel, Jareth's intelligent little servant. Kirash could sense Chokitel following him from a close distance, always just on the periphery of his vision. Of course, he could easily have hidden himself from Chokitel if he so wished, but he didn't want Jareth to have an idea of the extent of his power yet. Most of the castle was shrouded in layers of protective magic so thick that Kirash could barely place his hand in it. How he longed to just take a little of that power right now...to feel the magic rush through his body, strengthening, that mad sense of control...

Kirash followed the increase in power until he reached the oddest room in the whole castle, one he had never seen before. It was a massive, confusing room that echoed weirdly and seemed to have no end. Flights of stone stairs extended in every direction, every possible direction, winding up, down, sideways, backwards, vertically, horizontally, upside down and downside up. It reminded Kirash of a poster he had seen when he had lived Aboveground. It had been a poster that hung in his high-school math teacher's classroom, a drawing by a man called Escher, he believed. This was almost an exact, living replica. The power in this room was so palpable it was almost visible to the naked, untrained eye. Strangely, though the power here was so strong, it was also the point of weakest protection. This was the control box, if you will, of the entire Labyrinth. It must be here, Kirash deduced, that Jareth created the magic that sustained the Labyrinth's often elaborate illusions.

It quickly became apparent that this Escher Room was the place to strike. If he could somehow manage to draw Jareth here and strike both the Goblin King and the Labyrinth at the same time his victory would be assured. He'd have to do something to gain Jareth's attention...perhaps the random murder of some of the goblins? Or he might attack Emma again, though he would make sure he killed her this time. She was a waste of space. As he exited the Escher Room (with difficulty; he'd have to make sure he knew this room upside down, if that was even possible) Kirash began debating whether or not to strike right away, or to enjoy Jareth's hospitality. He knew the longer he stayed with Jareth, the angrier, and therefore more rash, the Goblin King was likely to become. Smirking to himself, Kirash made his way down to Jareth's kitchens. Chokitel was following him from a safe distance, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

When he reached the kitchens, Kirash was surprised and irritated to find Jareth himself down there, speaking in low tones to the head cook, who looked like a cross between a man, a goblin, a dwarf, and a bird, with great black wings sprouting up in voluminous folds of feather from between his shoulder blades, twisted goblin features, the stout stature of a dwarf, and the winking, sharp intelligence of humanity from within his black eyes.

"...I know that but she refuses to eat, can you at least try to make something that resembles Aboveground food?" Jareth was saying irritably. The cook managed to sniff condescendingly while still appearing respectful to his king.

"Your Highness, Aboveground food is revolting compared to ours. And where would I get the ingredients?" he said disparagingly. Jareth's eyebrow rose in supreme irritation.

"Well, I am demanding as your King," he began through clenched teeth, "that you get your hands on Aboveground ingredients and make a meal that is more appealing to her eyes. If she refuses to eat, how can she sustain herself? I am trying to nurse her back to health, which would be rather impossible if she won't eat. And I am averse to placing her under a spell; it's not safe in her weakened condition..." There was exasperation in the King's tone, and underneath it, a small snag of something that Kirash thought could be construed as fear. Fear. He smiled. Fear because he, Kirash, was here, disrupting things, without a clear purpose in mind. He wondered briefly if Emma would actually tell Jareth that Kirash had attacked her, but she was still in a mindless gibbering state.

Kirash coughed loudly to announce his presence and had the satisfaction of seeing Jareth start in surprise, showering the floor around him with a cloud of blue glitter.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled viciously, his thin lips twisted in a nasty frown. "I told you to come nowhere near me!" He then shot a death-glare behind Kirash, presumably in the direction of his little goblin-shadow.

"Well, I am hungry, and how am I to sustain myself without food?" Kirash said sarcastically. He walked past Jareth to peer into the cook's bowls, bringing a snarl of remembrance and hatred out of the cook.

"What is this traitorous scum doing in the castle?" the cook cried angrily, reaching forwards to grasp Kirash's wrist away from his precious ingredients. Kirash bared his teeth in a hiss.

"My home has imploded, and I am a guest," he whispered. He pulled himself away from the cook with a disdainful sneer. He continued to peruse the kitchen, looking for something to eat, not because he was hungry (he almost never was anymore) but because he knew it would irk the Goblin King. He picked up a plump Tamarerick, the Underground equivalent of a tomato. Watching Jareth with laughing eyes, Kirash bit into it, smiled, and then threw it roughly at the cook. The Tamarerick hit the cook's face with a resounding splat and then fell pathetically to the floor. Kirash laughed softly. He swept past Jareth and the cook, enjoying the power he had to unnerve them.

Kirash walked slowly back to the room he'd been given. Of course, his own tower was much more comfortable, but he could do with substandard lodgings for a day or two. Chokitel didn't go so far as to follow Kirash directly into the room, but Kirash knew the little goblin was standing sentinel outside of the door, listening intently for anything that might sound amiss. He would have to begin his attack tomorrow. He didn't want to waste time, though he was having fun disrupting the flow of normal life in the castle. Any of the creatures who recognized him recoiled in hatred. Well, he'd show them that he wasn't a naive little wizard anymore. He was a mage with the power to destroy the Goblin King. He closed his eyes briefly.

Kirash was surprised to discover it was dark when he next opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep without realizing it. Looking out of his small window, Kirash couldn't even see stars winking at him from the black sky. He could, however see a roiling mess of black clouds, purple with random flashes of lightning. The castle itself was quiet, and Kirash thought it would be an ideal time for some snooping without the company of his goblin-shadow.

Chokitel was fast asleep leaning against the wall outside Kirash's door, his head drooping comically onto his chest. Kirash smirked and walked past him silently. He went straight to the Escher Room, trying to find the centre of it, the highest point of power. Closing his eyes, he let the magical particles surround him, and pull him like a magnet towards a hidden doorway, wrapped in several spiralling staircases. In the doorway was a room unlike any Kirash had ever seen. He was standing on a platform that looked like a doorway from the Escher Room. Bits of archways and wall and stairs floated around him in a dark purple mist, with multifaceted colours winking from behind the mist. It was deadly quiet and deserted, yet here the power was at its most palpable. Kirash looked around him curiously.

A few feet before him there was a black scorch mark on the platform, and the magical particles were floating around a shape like a blurry outline, the fuzzy shape of a woman - no girl, it looked like. Kirash approached it slowly, his hand extended towards the fuzzy outline created by buzzing and swarming magical particles. He touched the outline, and his whole entire body stiffened with the shock. It was like touching an electrical field, and he could see that within the shadowy outline, something was hidden. It looked like...a heart. It was beating feebly, pulsing irregularly, sending out magical particles every so often to reinforce the magical shape-field. But this heart was not a bloody replica of the human pump, no. It was a glittery sculpture, a reproduction of a heart, giving power to the whole entire Labyrinth, and maintaining this odd, girl-shaped shield around it. The shield had long straight hair by the looks of it, and was slender, the shape of a girl just growing into her womanhood.

By the sounds of it, the magical particles were whispering enough to make a single phrase, repeating over and over again. Kirash couldn't understand the phrase's significance, but he committed it to memory nevertheless, watching the strange shape intently.

"You have no power over me...You have no power over me...You have no power over me...You have no power over me..."

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_There you have it, Chapter Twelve at last! Hope it was okay, although I'm not altogether perfectly happy with it. Urgh! Please read and review! _


	13. Chapter 13

_Author's Note: Is this really necessary? We all know that everyone of us would like to own the Labyrinth, even though it's impossible. I'm trying to get out a few more chapters before school starts, and I'm really trying to finish it soon, so that school doesn't get in the way. Enjoy installment thirteen!_

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The Fall of the King

**Thirteen**

Kirash backed away slowly for a moment, discomfited by that simple phrase. How was it that six words had had the power to destroy Jareth so utterly? Though Kirash knew the Goblin King would never admit it, the triumph of Sarah Williams - that ridiculous girl, a waste of time, just like Emma - had destroyed a part of Jareth. Either that or it had damaged the King so badly that he might never recover. Kirash prayed fervently that he would never be overthrown by use of such a simple trick as words. He approached the shining girl-shield again and reached out to touch it, perversely curious about why Jareth would choose such a shape to shield his pseudo-heart.

The moment his fingers touched the shield again, a shock ran through him, making him jump and yet bolting him to the floor at the same time. A rush of flashing images whirled through his mind, all of them containing the same girl - that stupid Sarah Williams! She was everywhere, running down a stone corridor, falling down a hole lined with Helping Hands, dressed in a fluffy travesty of a white ball-gown, twirling in the Goblin King's arms...Kirash jerked his hand away, feeling sick. For one moment, he had understood Jareth's fascination, had felt an odd pull towards Sarah...But that was just the infusion of memories that his curiosity had called. Now that he was in full possession of himself he shuddered. And he looked at the shield again, recognizing its shape for what it was. Kirash retched. How could Jareth do such a stupid, sentimental, sappy, pathetic thing as to use the shape of the girl who had triumphed to guard his 'heart'?

"Utter nonsense," Kirash murmured disdainfully to himself. Feeling slimy, Kirash quickly returned to the Escher Room and closed his eyes, following the stream of magical particles to the exit.

The hallways were still quiet and deserted when he finally exited the Escher Room. He had to admit to himself, those disorienting staircases and doorways made him feel slightly dizzy. Kirash paused to steady himself, and in doing so, heard the soft scuffling of footsteps. He held his breath and listened hard. They did not sound close enough together to be goblin footsteps, but neither did they have the arrogant swagger of Jareth. Flattening himself against the wall, Kirash readied a cold, indifferent expression on his face as he waited to see who else was wandering around so late at night.

He nearly groaned aloud when he saw a poof of reddish-brown curls coming into view. Emma. Well, if she was going to come his way, he might as well scare her. After all, when he became Goblin King, he'd get rid of her anyways, and he needed some fun before the hard work began. He allowed himself to stay invisible for a moment. Emma was scuffling across the floor with her head down, tears falling freely from her eyes. Her posture was that of a drooped, broken doll, discarded by a spoiled child for something shinier. Kirash marvelled at how effective his betrayal had been. It was unfathomable how easily she had trusted him. Kirash was never one to hand out his trust, so he really had no idea how his actions would hurt Emma. And he liked it. Her eyes were darting around nervously and her face was pale. She had already lost enough weight to make a visible difference. She was hugging herself tightly, looking thoroughly miserable. Composing his face into a nasty smirk rather than the gleeful grin he wanted to wear, Kirash took a step forward and removed the invisibility charm he had cast around himself.

"Well Emma, I have to say I'm impressed you lived through all that," he sneered softly. He allowed himself to laugh heartily when she gasped earsplittingly and jumped back at least four feet in her surprise. He couldn't really help it. He stopped laughing when he realized she was so paralyzed she couldn't even run away screaming. She was bug-eyed, staring at him, shaking so violently it appeared she was vibrating. He took the smallest step forward and she jolted back with a strangled sob. A heady rush ripped through Kirash, powerful and delicious. He had power over her just by the fact that she was weak enough to be afraid. He leered at her, contemplating casting a painful spell.

Emma opened her mouth as if to say something, and then closed it, repeating the action at least a dozen times. She looked remarkably stupid, and he snickered.

"Emma, are you _afraid_ of me?" he asked sarcastically, holding his staff out in front of him. She closed her eyes and started sobbing.

"Please don't hurt me again, please!" she cried weakly, shaking. "I w-won't tell - tell Ja-Jareth, I p-promise!" She looked disgusting, Kirash thought disinterestedly, with mucus running from her nose, her face scrunched up and red, shiny from her tears. Hideous. He noticed that now she was no longer a Runner, the magical particles did not buzz around her as before.

"But you're in my way, Emma," he snarled quietly. He saw her knees shaking, and she actually collapsed to the floor, gibbering.

"P-please!"

"What is going on?" an imperious voice said from behind Kirash. Kirash groaned out loud this time.

"Oh Goblin King, what a pleasure it is to run into you again," he hissed, turning to face Jareth, who looked irate as usual, his hair even more voluminous than normal. He looked like he had either just woken up, or had run his hands repeatedly through it in frustration. He was dressed pristinely, so Kirash bet on his second option.

"What are you doing, Mage?" Jareth demanded, striding over to Emma at once, his boots clicking ominously on the floor.

"We were merely speaking, Goblin King," Kirash said disinterestedly, looking at his fingernails. "Nothing more," he added, imitating Jareth's most arrogant tone. Jareth, meanwhile, was trying to coax Emma into picking herself up from the floor with little success. She was a gibbering mess, staring at Kirash with frightened eyes. She was clearly torn between telling Jareth what Kirash had done, and remaining silent out of fear of retribution. He smirked at her. He leaned against the wall while Jareth took Emma's arms gently and tried to convince her to stand up. She was shaking her head, making a pitiful spectacle of herself.

"No, Jareth, no I can't! I won't! It hurts! I hurt! He hurts!" she was crying nonsensically. Kirash rolled his eyes.

"Well, as fascinating as you may find babbling lunatics, Goblin King, I have to go and get some rest. Pleasant dreams," Kirash said. For good measure, he shot a discreet jet of power behind him that sent Emma flying backwards into the wall with a satisfying crack. Jareth jumped up at once with a howl of rage and positively flew at Kirash, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him into the nearest wall. Kirash laughed through the pain.

"You dare to harm my guests?" Jareth snarled, his voice tearing with rage.

"You can't hurt me, Goblin King, you've done so enough already that I'm immune to it," Kirash taunted softly. "Besides, she's just a worthless mortal. I don't even understand why you're wasting your time."

Jareth tightened his grip with a growl, slamming Kirash's head into the wall. Kirash saw lights winking around him, but used his hold on magic to maintain consciousness, drawing power from the Labyrinth as he withstood the Goblin King's rage.

"I follow the rules of my Labyrinth, Mage, and -"

"Spare me the lecture, King," Kirash interrupted. "If I were Goblin King I would have let her die." Emma screamed behind them, and Jareth finally dropped Kirash to the floor. Kirash stood at once, rubbing his throat, intrigued by how quickly and rashly Jareth had reacted. This was a weakness he could exploit. He tightened his grip on his staff, and commanded the magical particles to slice open the skin on Emma's exposed hand. The gush of red spattered through Jareth's blonde mop and he roared again, turning from the shaking girl to face Kirash once more.

"Tomorrow, you will be gone. I shall exile you to another desolate place, and so help me, if you refuse to go, I will not hesitate to kill you!" Jareth said through clenched teeth, his shoulders heaving with the force of his emotion. Emma sobbed again from behind him, clearly terrified, and, Kirash reflected, with good reason. Kirash had nearly killed her (and was planning on it), and Jareth was...unpredictable in his moods. Kirash was starting to wonder if Sarah Williams had not only softened Jareth, but relieved him of his senses as well.

"Then tomorrow will be a very interesting day, Goblin King," Kirash whispered hatefully. "Because I do not plan on leaving. My exile is complete in light of the fact that Temeril is no more. You cannot punish me for my survival."

"Get out," Jareth snarled.

"Tomorrow shall be very interesting," Kirash repeated softly, turning his back on the Goblin King and the former Runner. Tomorrow...he would finally claim the Labyrinth as his own.

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_All right, so as always, I am politely asking for reviews on how this chapter went down. Many thanks to Moonspun Dragon and .Beckoning.Disaster., whose reviews make me smile. There is happiness on the way, never fear. As for Kirash's long and slow death...I'm working on it! Thanks for your support!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's Note: You all know the drill. The Labyrinth and its King belongs to Jim Henson, not me, although if I had it my way...smiles wistfully Ahem, back to the present. Chapter Fourteen. We are nearing the end of our Journey, dear friends, and I am trying so hard to finish this before Tuesday...though that's not likely since there are at least three more chapters to be had, if not more. Thank you so much for reading, and keep those reviews coming!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Fourteen**

Though Kirash had expected it, it still surprised him when he was hauled roughly out of bed at the break of dawn. Those who had so rudely awoken him allowed him to fall jarringly to the floor. He winced, but stood swiftly, summoning his staff to him at once. He nearly laughed when he saw which henchmen Jareth had deployed to boot him out of the castle. Jareth had sent goblins to do this, stupid, simple little goblins. They were glaring at him with dull hate glinting out of their beady little eyes. He decided to play ignorant and see how dumb Jareth's subjects really were.

"What is the meaning of this?" he shouted imperiously, glaring at each of the four goblins with his white eyes. The goblins paused, relaxing their rigid postures hesitantly, looking at each other. Then they looked at Kirash, at his indignant expression, and his tall staff.

"The King said you were bad. The King said you have to go," one of the goblins said slowly.

"Well, your King must be mistaken. I am partaking of his hospitality as a refugee," Kirash replied coldly, readjusting his grip on his staff so that he had magical particles ready if the need for an attack arose. He brushed his robes off with his free hand, feigning an attitude of injured dignity.

"But the King -"

"I do not care what Jareth has told you little twerps. I have every right to be here," Kirash retorted acidly, brushing past the goblins. "You four cannot do anything to convince me to leave, and I have half a mind to blast you straight to hell," he added menacingly.

"That his why they did not come alone," came an icy reply from behind Kirash. He grinned. Jareth the Goblin King. Kirash turned with confident smirk, and began to summon up the power and control from the little parts of himself he had scattered throughout the Labyrinth.

"Why, Goblin King! How is it that I am fortunate enough to receive such a personal visit?" he sneered mockingly. Jareth's face was a glacial mask, his thin lips pressed into a tight line, mismatched eyes gleaming angrily. His arms were crossed, and he stood regally tall. Kirash found this display of kingly authority utterly unimpressive. The Goblin King inspired nothing in Kirash but hate and contempt

"You are leaving my kingdom today, Mage," Jareth decreed harshly. Kirash shrugged his shoulders.

"I am sure you are aware of the circumstances, Goblin King. Since I am homeless, you cannot force me to leave," Kirash replied softly. He knew this would irk Jareth all the more, since both of them knew that Kirash was here solely on a purpose that would be destructive towards the Labyrinth and its King. Thunder sounded outside and a surge of power flooded through Kirash, enough to give him a shock that he had to struggle mightily to conceal. He wanted to smile giddily. This power felt so _good._

"And I am sure that you recall our encounter last night, in which I told you that you would be exiled again," Jareth retorted swiftly. "I am also sure that you remember the conditions under which I placed you?"

"Would that be the one where you would kill me if I refuse to leave?" Kirash asked, locking his gaze with Jareth's. Jareth nodded imperceptibly, taking a step forward. Kirash smiled. "I'm afraid that's going to be a problem, then. I have no intention of leaving." And taking a step back, Kirash commanded the magical particles around him to hide him. Jareth jumped, and his eyes darted around suspiciously.

"What?" Jareth snarled. "You have the ability to make yourself invisible? Since when have you possessed such power?" Kirash sidled towards the door.

"You neglected to check up on me, Goblin King. I did not sit idly these centuries in exile. You must have known I would return," he taunted as he slipped through the door and into the hallway. He could hear Jareth's boots clicking on the floor as he ran to follow Kirash's voice. The game had begun. Kirash morphed quickly into his shadow-self so that he could move around more freely. He could hear Jareth in hot pursuit, crystals smashing all over the place. There were glitter clouds everywhere; the Goblin King thought Kirash was still merely invisible, and was trying to cover his shape in glitter. Kirash doubled back and ended up behind Jareth, and then shot a stream of magic at the King. Jareth flew forwards and fell on his face, roaring in surprise. Kirash laughed from behind him.

"Surprise, Goblin King!" he shouted mockingly, making himself visible once more. Jareth was on his feet faster than Kirash expected, however, and Kirash soon found himself on the ground with no idea how he had gotten there, and there was a splitting pain running across his forehead. Blood dripped into his eyes, stinging. His grin turned into a snarl as he blinked several times to rid himself of the lights winking around his field of vision. Jareth's eyes were like an ice storm threatening to freeze hell over, and Kirash felt a momentary pang of fear, but another surge of the Labyrinth's magic flowed straight through him to his staff and a bright blue jet of magic directed itself at Jareth, following Kirash's train of thought. An angry red welt marred Jareth's pale cheekbone. Time seemed to stop as the Labyrinth's magic began whispering an apology of sorts for harming its King. Jareth was too incensed to understand what his Labyrinth was trying to tell him: that Kirash was using it against him.

Jareth began waving his hands, and an impossible number of crystals began weaving around them. Kirash couldn't help but stare at them. The winking lights and sinuous movements were so hypnotic that he forgot where he was. The chaotic nature of the Labyrinth's magical particles at the moment only served to make things more confusing; the magic was resisting the shift between masters, and trying desperately to alert Jareth to his true predicament, but Kirash was attempting to silence them.

Kirash's confusion was shattered just as a crystal ball smashed into him, engulfing him in a cloud of purple glitter. He would have scoffed; how dangerous can purple glitter be, after all? However, he suddenly felt a burning, stinging pain in every exposed patch of skin, and his eyes were on fire. The glittery grit was getting everywhere, and the pain was debilitating. Kirash heard an unearthly cry of agony and wondered where the sound was coming from until he realized that it was his own cry of pain. The tone soon changed to one of rage as he realized he had allowed himself to be so grievously attacked. He waved his staff, and the glitter vanished, giving Kirash a clear view of the Goblin King, who was now smirking arrogantly.

"Did you really think that you could ever work up enough skill to defeat me?" he asked harshly, his arms crossed nonchalantly. Kirash coughed the last of the glitter out of his lungs and inwardly cursed the Goblin King for putting him in such an undignified position. Rather than replying to Jareth's insult, Kirash morphed back into shadows, disappearing so fast that Jareth spun around, disoriented. Laughing out loud, and feeling more power spreading within him, Kirash sped down the stone corridors of Jareth's home, knocking down statues and tearing paintings as he went. He could hear Jareth following, hear crystals smashing, and sped up. He did not want to get engulfed in another cloud of that repulsive glitter.

He was trying to remember his way back to the Escher Room so that he could lure Jareth into that odd room where the Sarah-shield was guarding Jareth's pseudo-heart. The corridors all looked the same, however, and because he had to concentrate on avoiding Jareth's attacks, Kirash couldn't focus on following the magical threads of power in the castle. He also wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, and he promptly flew headlong into a body and automatically popped back into his human form. He fell back uncomfortably onto his backside and looked up at the obstacle blocking his path.

A very shocked and pale Emma was backing away slowly, her eyes wide with horror. Kirash let loose a hiss of fury. How could it be that this waste of space was in his way now of all times? He flew to his feet. He didn't care about magic at the moment - he needed to strike her with his bare hands, to feel her bones crush underneath his fingers. He rushed her and was barely aware of his hands closing around her throat, effectively cutting off her scream for help. Her hands scrabbled at his wrists, trying to force his hands away from her windpipe, but he was so consumed by mindless rage (Jareth could be right around the corner and she had stopped him!) that he could barely feel her weak attempts to save herself.

Then suddenly he felt a blinding pain and realized that Emma was not as stupid as he had begun to think of her; she had brought her knee up squarely into his groin and he fell away, choking on a strangled cry of pain.

"Why you little -" he began furiously through clenched teeth, but then he felt a crystal smash over his head and his focus was immediately directed elsewhere. Jareth had caught up with him. Kirash whipped around, a feral snarl tearing at his vocal chords. This fight was no longer fun; it wasn't supposed to be so difficult. Jareth was standing in a relaxed position, though Kirash could tell from the spring in his body that the Goblin King was poised for another attack. Kirash closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the pull of the Labyrinth's magic, directing him towards the Escher Room...thankfully, he was quite close by, and this meant that the end was near.

Kirash's eyes snapped open again when he heard one of Jareth's boots shift, and when he felt the magical atmosphere change ever so slightly. Jareth was readying himself for a large, powerful spell. Smirking, Kirash opened his mouth to say something distracting when he realized he had the perfect shield standing behind him in paralyzed terror. He closed his mouth for a moment, and then commanded his particles to break down into shadows, only this time, he morphed into a monstrous black shadow that quickly shifted behind Emma, leaving her in between an angry Goblin King and his prey.

He laughed.

"What now, Goblin King? Would you risk harming your recovering Runner?" he sneered, and, little though he wanted to, he reached out and grasped Emma's arm, putting as much pressure on her as he could. She winced, and began to whimper wordlessly. Kirash thrust her in front of him. He began to walk slowly backwards, in the direction of the Escher Room's magical pull, all the while placing Emma in the path of danger. She was a waste of space, it was true, but at least she was still useful. In her panic-stricken state, she was utterly submissive.

Jareth of course, was struck dumb, his mismatched eyes switching between a fierce glare at Kirash, and an intense apologizing gaze at Emma, who seemed to be pleading with him to save her.

"Come and get me, Goblin King," Kirash taunted, shooting another tendril of magical particles at Jareth, wrapping them around his throat and squeezing. Jareth quickly defended himself by shattering a crystal on the floor, but it quickly became apparent that he did not want to risk attacking Kirash when there was the danger of killing Emma. And if Emma died, then the Labyrinth would break, and there would be nothing left to fight over.

Finally, Kirash felt the door to the Escher Room behind him, and pulled Emma through it. He then closed his eyes again. It was remarkably easy to transport himself and Emma along the current of magical power to the room's heart, now that half of the Labyrinth's magic belonged to him.

There, pulsing with in the Sarah-shield, was the "heart" of the Labyrinth. Kirash dragged Emma towards it, and waited patiently for Jareth to catch up, here in the place that would decide the final fate of the Labyrinth, and ultimately, the whole Underground.

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_So there is Chapter Fourteen. Writing scenes like this is a real challenge for me, it takes a lot of effort, hence why it takes me so long to update. I hope you all were pleased with it. Don't be afraid to leave a little note behind! And to all of you returning to school (be it University, College, Highschool, or Elementary School), good luck, my thoughts are with us all._


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: No, the Labyrinth isn't mine. We all know that, of course, and what a sad thing it is... ;P Sorry in advance for the shortness of this chapter, but it is the only clean break before the story continues. Enjoy!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Fifteen**

The silence was thick as Kirash waited for Jareth to show himself. Emma's fearful whimpering had died out, and she was now standing in perfect silence, her shaking the only thing to give away the state of her mind. He liked her better this way: quiet, shaking, fearful. She wasn't nearly as annoying. Kirash calmed his mind and reached out to grasp at all of the magic he now controlled within the Labyrinth. He would need every last particle to deal a fatal blow to Jareth. He could feel each new stream of magic empowering his abilities, and wondered if he was suddenly of a monstrous size. His power felt so magnificent that any of his earlier fears or doubts were erased. Surely, with most of the Labyrinth's power behin him, he would triumph the moment he weakened the Goblin King enough to damage the heart residing within the Sarah-shield.

Emma looked like she was on the verge of finally stringing a whole sentence together, but Kirash was in no mood to listen to her whine about how good Jareth was or how evil Kirash was being.

"I have neither the time nor the inclination to listen to you, Emma," he said, effectively cutting her off. Her trembling lips snapped back shut. "Did you not get that impression when I left you bleeding for the Goblin King to find?" Her eyes sparkled with tears and he smirked. "I'm going to kill you, Emma. When I am finished with the Goblin King. I'm going to kill you."

Emma backed away from him with a horrified look in her eyes, but he didn't allow her to move far. She was still a very effective shield, and he needed her in order to debilitate Jareth's ability to attack him.

"Release the Runner," Jareth's voice finally echoed from several yards away. Kirash smirked.

"I didn't think she was a Runner anymore, Goblin King," he replied cooly. "I was under the impression that she was just leeching off your hospitality until she recovered from the damage I dealt her."

"What?" Jareth demanded, halting suddenly, his mismatched eyes flashing. His head twitched in a flurry of spiky blonde, as though he was clearing out his ears, glaring at an insubordinate goblin subject. Kirash laughed, bringing a stinging blow across Emma's back with his staff. She stumbled forwards.

"Didn't she tell you, Goblin King? It was I who left her for dead. Did you not see what it did to your Labyrinth?" Kirash hissed quietly.

"Yes I saw, but what I wish to know is how you had the knowledge of what her injury would do to Us," Jareth snapped, a snarl building in his throat. Kirash wanted to laugh hysterically. Jareth was dumb enough to think of the Labyrinth as an entity that could be construed as 'us'. A being that could feel pain. The Labyrinth was nothing but a source of magic, power, and control.

"That's nothing of your concern, Goblin King," Kirash quipped, slamming his staff back down on the stone platform. Jareth somehow seemed to become taller as he straightened his posture. Without allowing his eyes to leave Kirash, Jareth began to pull crystals out of the magic of the room, twirling them in his hands, allowing them to circle both his head and Kirash's. Emma seemed frozen, staring at Jareth with pleading in her eyes.

Kirash allowed the power flowing through him to build up into a large surge, and just as Jareth's flock of crystals began rocketing towards Emma, swerving smartly to avoid her, Kirash loosed a massive ball of crackling purple electricity from the tips of his fingers and his staff. He was surprised when Jareth actually was not able to maneuver away from the powerball. Kirash yelled in triumph as he saw Jareth blasted backwards into more of the purple mist that seemed to swirl all over this strange room. Emma finally broke through her wall of silence and screamed, starting forwards automatically towards Jareth, her hands extended in concern.

Kirash jerked her back with a lasso of magic, allowing her to fall hard on the ground. She squealed.

"What did you do to him?" she cried brokenly, but Jareth had jumped to his feet, and a crystal ball smashed into Kirash, forcing him to the ground, rubbing glitter-grit out of his eyes. He heard a surprised squeak from Emma and when he opened his eyes again, she was safely behind Jareth, cowering like the little coward she was.

With a roar of rage, Kirash swiped his staff through the air and heard Jareth's leg snap loudly. The Goblin King, however, was too proud to even let out a grunt of pain, even though he was unable to leap out of the way of Kirash's attacks. Kirash backed up until he could feel the strength of the Sarah-shield tickling his back. He just needed to strike once more, and force Jareth's concentration wholly on keeping himself alive. Jareth was turned towards Emma, trying to encourage her to run. Kirash sent out a magical extension of his hand, and grasped at the magical particles of Jareth's soul. It was like a spiky handle, just waiting to be tugged. Kirash yanked back, and a visible cord of power popped out of the Goblin King's chest with a grotesque sucking sound.

It seemed that such an immediate removal of an integral part of his being caused Jareth to release an involuntary scream and he immediately fell to the ground, his arm shooting out to support him.

The Sarah-shield flickered and Kirash laughed. He turned around and cleanly sliced through the Sarah-shield, exposing the 'heart' to all of his magic. Jareth loosed a dry sob, and his vocal tone changed.

"No," the Goblin King begged. Kirash's laughter became hysterical. He had the Goblin King's power, and he could feel the power coursing through his veins. He could feel a crystal forming between his fingers, and casually lobbed it towards the Goblin King as he considered the 'heart'. Emma screeched and launched herself towards Kirash recklessly. Of course, Kirash easily threw her away from him back towards Jareth, whose breath was coming in harsh wheezes. He decided that simple was the most satisfying way to go. He gave his staff a little shake, commanding the loose magical particles to form a blade at the bottom of his staff, much the same as blade he had used to cut Emma when he had left her in the Labyrinth. He could feel everything around him trembling violently, the Labyrinth bemoaning its soon-to-be doom.

"What are you doing?" Jareth asked weakly as Kirash raised his staff over the sluggishly pumping glitter-heart.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kirash responded absent-mindedly, considering this center of power. Should he really stab it? Or was it possible for him to absorb it like he had with the Heart of Temeril? Tentatively, he stretched out a tendril of his own magical power, a hook to ensare the power of Jareth's pseudo-heart. Surprisingly, it caught on without any resistance, and when Kirash began to tug, a fascinating thing happened. The heart began to change, becoming a black, sickly, slimy mass that pounded to a regular, speedy rhythm. The glitter had vanished. And a new shield grew up around it, a thick black cloud that thundered like a real storm. Kirash laughed.

"That's why you don't leave weak mortals to guard your precious power," he chuckled under his breath. When he turned back around, Emma was helping Jareth to stand. Kirash would have thought it impossible, but the Goblin King's skin was even paler than before, shiny with sweat and clammy looking. Jareth's blonde mop looked deflated, and Kirash thought the look suited him. He had never been of the opinion that voluminous mullets were attractive. He was actually surprised at how easy it had been for him to steal over Jareth's pseudo-heart. It had given in without a fight, unlike the actual Goblin King. Though technically the Labyrinth had also changed hands, it was not going quietly.

The air was screaming, the earth was screaming, and every single magical particle at Kirash's fingertips was screeching in protest. The din was incredible and pointless. Kirash walked forwards towards Jareth, who looked suddenly smaller, the amulet at his chest crumbling to dust. The earth trembled, pitching Kirash into a stumble. He righted himself quickly and directed the blade-end of his staff towards Emma. She had to be gotten rid of first.

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_So there is chapter fifteen for you all. Hopefully it entertained you all! Thank you to all of you who continue to review (woah, talk about rhyming) and thank you for your support! Good luck at school to all those returning!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: Do I really need to admit to the fact that this world is not mine? sighs This one is, I think, one of my longest installments, with good reason. It took me a while to develop. This kind of scene is tough, though I know I've said it before. I feel good about this one though, so enjoy this chapter!!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Sixteen**

Jareth made a weak gesture that made no sense to Kirash at first. Then he realized (a bubble of laughter growing in his throat) that the former Goblin King was trying to indicate that Kirash should strike Jareth only, leaving Emma to survive.

"Really, Jareth?" he asked mockingly. "You would die in her place? Because there is no room for negotiation. I really don't want either of you here." He said this matter-of-factly; after all, it was true. Jareth shook his head.

"Why? You wanted me, here I am. There is no purpose. Erase her memory and send her home," Jareth said very quietly, his eyes somehow managing to maintain an intense stare, even though the rest of him looked unable to maintain anything. The earth gave another violent tremble as the Labyrinth groaned.

"You fail to understand, worm," Kirash hissed through his teeth. "I won't make the same mistakes you did. You left your enemies alive. I will not give you the chance to rise up and make me fall." He bared his teeth in an awful grin. Emma shrunk away, involuntarily it seemed. Then she looked down.

"No," she disagreed, her voice very quiet. But her tone was firm, the first time that Kirash had ever heard her speak with more than a quiver in her voice since he had turned on her.

"No?" Kirash repeated, stepping closer to her and pressing the blade against her throat, putting just enough pressure there for her to realize that he could puncture the skin with the barest increase in pressure. "No, what?"

"Jareth - shouldn't die," she whispered, sounding mysteriously ashamed. "He - he's better than you'll ever be. And you -"

Kirash cut her off by making a very small slice on her throat, just enough to cut the skin and draw blood. She was silent instantly after she winced in pain. He saw a tear slip down her cheek. "And you want to die?" he asked her viciously.

"N-no." He laughed at her and turned his attention back to the former Goblin King, whose eyes were smouldering in rage and failure. Kirash took a moment to just smile gloatingly and allowed the Labyrinth's power to well up inside him, throwing his energy levels through the roof as an influx of heady adrenaline and power rushed through every vein and nerve ending in his body. The earth was now spinning and he felt a stab of irritation interrupt his glorious absorption of power. The Labyrinth was still trying to protest its change of hand in a pointless gesture of threatened destruction. He heard Jareth gave a weak chuckle then, clearly assessing the mood of the Labyrinth and its effect on Kirash.

"I suppose you've noticed that the Labyrinth is rather upset about all of this," Jareth said weakly, a smile still tugging at his lips. Kirash snarled.

"It doesn't matter. I own it now, whether or not its loyalties still lie with you," he snapped. "Clearly I shall have to destroy you now to end its disobedience. What a shame," he continued with a wicked smile, his stomach jumping excitedly at the thought of Jareth's demise at last, "I was so hoping to deal with you slowly, so that I might enjoy my revenge." And at that moment, Kirash knew that he no longer needed his staff; with the Labyrinth's magic flowing through his system, he could create magic from his fingertips, allowing him the much more personal option of killing Jareth with his bare hands. He threw his staff behind him, where it fell to the stone floor of the platform with a loud clatter that echoed oddly in the silence that ensued. It was the silence of those who were trying to make the most of their last minutes. Jareth's eyes narrowed as though he were thinking hard, and Kirash wondered briefly if the former Goblin King was pondering the aftermath of death.

Then, a growl ripping out between Kirash's grinning teeth, he lunged forwards with lethal magic crackling at his fingertips, reaching for Jareth's throat. Time seemed suspended. Kirash marvelled at it for a moment, at the sheer power of the image. The victor reaching to destroy the weak, as he so rightly should. Then suddenly his fingers closed around something that clearly was not Jareth's long neck. His fingers closed on an arm thrown up to protect the former Goblin King. His magic surged forwards, following his previous intent, and it was with a shocked silence that both Jareth and Kirash watched Emma fly away and smash onto the floor several feet away, twitching spasmodically.

Jareth's jaw set in anger as Kirash gave a surprised little laugh. She had been so silent, and yet she had thrown herself in front of Jareth!

"Well, there's one problem taken care of," he said glibly before turning back to Jareth with a sneer. He enjoyed the raw panic that flitted through Jareth's eyes. He readied the magic again, feeling it burn his fingertips in a pleasant way. It was the only way he could think of the heated tingling that spanned his fingers as magic balled up into energy he could use to kill.

Then Jareth made a quick movement that completely diverted all of Kirash's focus, a movement too quick for someone who was supposed to be weakened by a loss of power. A crystal ball soared through the air in slow motion, rising and falling perfectly as if it was a choreographed dance. It shattered on the ground at Kirash's feet and a fierce wind produced by the Labyrinth's anger swept through the room, kicking up a massive cloud that looked oddly solid, composed of black, sparkling glitter. Kirash threw up his hands automatically and the cloud dissipated, leaving Jareth still standing alone and looking even more vulnerable than he had before. Kirash smirked.

"Nice try, former Goblin King, but as you can see, the Labyrinth's power bends to my will," he said mockingly, taking another step forward. He began to laugh hysterically. It was all his, the magic, the Labyrinth, the Underground would soon be his too, and Jareth was going to die in pain. He stepped carefully over all the fragments of Jareth's last chance, the crystal pieces scattered all over the floor. He circled Jareth, carefully stepping over Emma's now motionless body.

He stretched out one hand and formed a black crystal in his own hand and hurled it at Jareth. It crackled with electric blue sparks as it flew, like a bizarre comet, and when it struck Jareth, the former Goblin King collapsed to the ground immediately with a grunt. However, he was still alive, and Kirash was frustrated with Jareth's stamina. Didn't he know when to quit? The Labyrinth shuddered and moaned. He continued to walk slowly towards Jareth now, his feet making very soft thuds against the stone, unlike Jareth's hideous clicky boots. Kirash felt raw hatred squeeze his heart as he looked down on the once-mighty Jareth the Magnificent. Even now he was a weakling, a coward. He showed no defiance, wasn't even fighting back. He was staring up at Kirash, almost asking for it to be over.

"You were never cut out for this job, Jareth," Kirash hissed, infusing every particle of his hatred into the former Goblin King's name. "You were too weak, allowing yourself to become obsessed with a foolish little girl. Sarah Williams destroyed everything here. You were already a fool before she ran your Labyrinth, but you have become a laughingstock, pining after that awful girl and drooling over every female to run your Labyrinth since. Your Labyrinth will realize it soon enough, once I get it into the shape it should be. The Runners won't stand a chance..."

He crouched down slowly. The air was so thick with Kirash's hate, Jareth's fear, and the Labyrinth's misery that Kirash could taste its unique flavour on his tongue. A sour, gritty, rotted, yet sweet taste that was repellent and enticing at the same time. He stretched out his tingling hand for the third time and finally reached Jareth's throat.

For a moment he nearly recoiled away; Jareth's skin felt slimy from the sheen of clammy sweat, and it was so pale and cold and smooth that it felt dead already. Kirash chastised himself and began to focus, watching as Jareth's eyes grew steadily more unfocused.

He was sure he heard the last of Jareth's heartbeats when a piercing pain erupted in his side. He roared in agony, and heard Jareth's heart start up again just as he whirled around instinctively. Emma was kneeling behind him, a hard glare glinting in her eyes, her lips set together in defiance. Her hands were clenched into fists and there was something frightening in the cold glance that she gave him. Kirash recognized the look at once. It was the same expression he had used when he had nearly killed her. Then he looked down at his right side and saw a jagged fragment of Jareth's last crystal jutting out from his body, blood dripping lazily down the slanted crystal and onto the floor. There were patches of glitter residue on the shard of crystal, and Kirash knew in that instant that some of that glitter had entered his bloodstream.

He cursed his foolishness. How had he allowed himself to become so unfocused that this awful mistake had occurred? Frantically, paying no mind to the rising Jareth, Kirash attempted to stem the flow of blood from his body, to expound all of the glitter that he could feel crawling through his veins. It burned like dry ice. He began to scream hoarsely, his throat tearing at the effort. The magical particles in his body weren't responding anymore. They were leaking out of him along with his lifeblood.

"No!" he screeched in rage, clawing at the lodged fragment, desperation colouring his tone. Hysteria grew and he began to laugh irrationally. "This cannot be possible!"

He looked up through a red haze and saw that the black cloud formed once more into a glittering girl-shield, but the shape that guarded the new, fiercely pumping glitter-heart was different somehow. He could not distinguish the difference now, however.

His arms were stretching and shrinking in with an awful tearing noise, at least to his ears. Ice burned in his heart and his eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his sockets. His vocal chords were destroyed from the agonized screams that he had let loose. His legs shrunk, growing stunted and hideous, the knees knobbling, his bones melting and congealing like some sick jelly. All the while, he was perfectly aware of this horrible transformation, and every single change caused him more pain. There were no words in his head to describe this pain, this burning, freezing, stretching, throbbing, stabbing, sharp, dull, aching, piercing sting that permeated his entire being. The magic was gone, and he sobbed at its loss, stretching out his fingertips like a blind man, reaching for the magic that was no longer his. His fingers had changed too, mottled green stubs wiggling in front of him like fat, thick worms. He screeched in rage again, although the only thing that achieved was a renewed burning of his mutilated throat.

The damn glitter kept going, melting his insides and reforming them horridly, deforming him into some horrid creature he did not know. He screamed and tore at his face, which felt coarse and rubbery now. His silvery hair had vanished, leaving a wiry mop of black sparsely spread out over his oddly diamond-shaped skull. His brain felt like it was becoming mush. Kirash tried desperately to crawl towards the staff that lay discarded on the floor near him, pushing away glitter that got in under his now dirty fingernails and burned. Screeching incoherently with his impotent wrath, he stretched out his painful hands, only to have them trodden on by a hideous pair of shiny boots. Kirash's hands scrabbled for freedom. He could feel the glitter ripping at the inside of his eyes with a horrid, gritty friction that he never would have dreamed possible, given Jareth's fluffy hair and purply-pink glitter displays.

A milky film covered his vision as he looked up and beheld the true, cruel power of Jareth. He stood tall as any stone statue, his hair impossibly voluminous in that stupid blonde mullet, his brows frowning, eyes piercing Kirash worse than the glitter that was tearing at his insides. Jareth's arms were crossed, a brand new amulet shining at his chest. His lips were curled into a satisfied grin that sealed the horror into Kirash's morphing heart that pumped sluggishly. Ice flooded his body, and for one moment, Kirash felt utterly numb, unaware of the burning morph for the thirtieth of a second.

"Ungh," he managed to groan, watching in horror as his black robes shifted to ugly brown trousers and a practical, rough shirt. "What have you done to me?" Kirash's non-existant voice was growly and scratchy in his head, grating against the glitter that had infected his brain. In response, Jareth knelt down, and a large mirror appeared in his hands. Kirash screeched again when he realized that there was a hideous goblin standing in his place. He began tearing at his face anew, and scratching uselessly at Jareth's boots in rage.

Emma stood behind Jareth, her eyes wide in awe and horror, hands over her mouth. Jareth looked back at her for a moment, apology deep in his eyes and Kirash felt disgusted. The burning seemed to be ebbing away and he felt surprised. Jareth was really going to let him live as a goblin? He would never have done such a thing. But then he felt his heart squeeze, really squeeze, not just from a strong emotion, and he gagged. The glitter was stuck in his airways and his heart valves, clogging his system, and congealing his blood. He gurgled pointlessly as the milky film got worse, eventually blinding him.

"You are the worst kind of King..." he choked at the invisible Jareth, who chuckled deeply.

"No, you are, my old nemesis. You lasted mere minutes before you fell. And the fall of a king in such a manner is such a pitiful thing," Jareth replied, his voice fading away. Kirash knew that death was on the horizon, but instead of the pain fading away, it only intensified until everything around him burned before oblivion consumed him at last.

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_There you have it! The Sixteenth Chapter!! Do not fear, this is not the last chapter, after all, we need to resolve things with Emma and Jareth, right? I had enormous difficulty writing this chapter, but I feel very satisfied with it, particularly since I had a good week at school as well. I hope all of yours were similar, though I know returning to the grind sucks. :D Please let me know how you felt this chapter went! Onwards! _


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's Note: Just a reminder folks. I don't own this wonderful world, no matter how much I wish I did. And so, dear friends, we come to the end of a beautiful thing. Conclusions are so hard, and I fear this may be a bit abrupt, but I don't want to bleed on into another story, because that would defeat the purpose of the last chapter as a climactic moment. Enjoy the end, and don't forget to leave a little review at the end of our journey together!_

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**The Fall of the King**

**Seventeen**

Emma stared at the sickly green pile of ashes, her mouth hanging open in perfect astonishment. The silence was absolute, and felt wrong, somehow. In the absence of Kirash's horrified shrieks, it was suddenly too quiet. Her ears were ringing. Emma looked up at Jareth then. He was standing over the ashes with a satisfied smile that looked vaguely wicked, despite the fact that he was perfectly within his rights as Goblin King to be satisfied in the destruction of an enemy, a threat to the throne. His eyes just looked so cold and cruel that Emma shivered. He had worn the same icy smirk when he had first arrived after her foolish wish.

The shivering intensified as Emma realized precisely what she had done. She had taken a life. Granted, Kirash had been evil, and she hadn't known what the crystal shard, the glitter, was going to do, but she had blood on her hands. She had only wanted to slow Kirash down so that Jareth could win. As frightening as Jareth was, he was the rightful King of the Goblins, and he had saved her life. Kirash had betrayed her. Ema's heart still stung as that memory washed over her: the iciness of Kirash's smile, the evil glint of bloodlust and greed that had consumed his white eyes when he had hurt her - now a pile of ashes. Because of her. She had murdered. Her trembling hands crept up to cover her mouth, as if by covering it, her sanity would not leak away. The trembling began to take over her body as the pain and fear of the last - how many hours had it been? - caught up with her. Her knees buckled and she sank into a kneeling position just as the pile of ashes that had been Kirash began to do something extraordinary.

Electric blue glitter was swirling up in streams and shooting away in all directions. Where, she wouldn't have known, because this heart of the Escher Room had no windows. Several glitter strands flew towards Jareth and circled around him playfully until he extended his arms in a friendly gesture and gathered the glitter to his heart in an embrace. The glitter vanished, absorbed by Jareth's clothes or skin, Emma wasn't really sure. His hair grew even more voluminous immediately, and his appearance became immaculate once more. Her concentration refocused from her guilt, weakness, and fear to Jareth as he resumed control over his kingdom in a decidedly glittery fashion. Consequently, she was very surprised when a thick strand of glitter flew towards her too, circling her closely in what she could only identify as a loving manner.

Emma looked up again at Jareth in shock and confusion, a question on her tongue, which Jareth answered before she could even speak. A brooding expression claimed his mismatched eyes.

"That is your protection; rather, it was your magical protection as a human Runner. Kirash must have taken it to increase his own power as much as to cause you true damage," Jareth explained, his voice soft, quiet.

"Was?" Emma repeated nervously. Her voice sounded awful. Hoarse, unused. "What is it now? Are you sure it's even mine?" The blue glitter continued to swirl around her; some of the minute particles brushed softly against her cheek and she started, frightened by the alien sensation. Jareth stepped closer to her, pain in his eyes now as he watched the glitter swirl off in different streams. All of the magic that Kirash had stolen, returning to the rightful owners...

"Emma," Jareth called gently, breaking into her shocked reverie. She couldn't take her eyes away from the glitter that surrounded her. "That is your magic," Jareth confirmed, but his voice sounded odd.

"What do I do?" Emma asked. She was too afraid to move, too mesmerized by the glitter.

"Well, the glitter - the magic changed when Kirash stole it from you. That magic sustained you as a mortal in my Labyrinth for your Run. Without it, you would have been poisoned by the atmosphere here; it is very different to yours, too magical for your mundane world." Jareth paused, taking another step closer to her. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"You've been living on borrowed magic since I rescued you. My borrowed magic, in fact, which will bind you to wherever I happen to be, since I am the donor of the magic. Because Kirash sought to actively use the power imbibed in your decidedly passive magic, the glitter has completely morphed into a different species. If you fail to accept it, you will remain trapped here, because if I release my magic from you to send you home, you would die on the journey, short as it is.

"If you accept the glitter as your own, you will be able to manifest the magic in ways similar to mine, and you will not be bound to me by that strand of magic. But you will be bound to the Underground for a long time. Until you gain the wisdom and power to travel between worlds. But you will be forced to call the Underground home when the day is complete. It is a difficult choice - a difficult situation, particularly when your freedom has vanished so completely. However, Kirash effectively saw to it that you become an immortal half-Fae, much like he was," Jareth concluded, his tone apologetic. His voice was also laced with something akin to nervous anticipation. Emma felt her heart constrict as she swallowed dryly.

"I'll never see my family again?" she queried miserably.

"I am sorry," whispered Jareth sincerely, stepping closer yet again. "But I had to send them back when you were injured. Labyrinth rules." Her throat felt swollen as her eyes pricked and teared. Either path she chose would have her stay Underground, away from her family. Clearly the best choice was to accept the glitter. Jareth was undeniably fascinating, but she was afraid to bind herself so completely. What if he stopped caring? She would be forced to follow him around like a servant, or an unwanted guest. Even if he was great to look at...she wasn't sure she was even ready to commit to something like that.

"What would happen - now - if I - accept - this?" she stammered, waving her hand weakly towards the glitter. Her glitter. So pretty and sparkly.

"Nothing drastic, I can assure you of that," Jareth replied quietly. He was now standing right next to her, his tall frame casting a shadow on her. His proximity made her heart race. "You will, however, become aware of the magic of our realm at once. You'll be able to feel and see the magic just as solidly as you can see your own glitter. Magic, glitter, is everywhere here."

Emma looked up at him, afraid, but an odd thrill coursed through her too. Magic?

"But what do I do?" Her voice barely managed to make a sound as the blue glitter continued to swirl around her, becoming a dizzying vortex that tempted her more than the closeness of Jareth did.

Jareth held out his hand. "I will teach you, Emma. You can trust me," he said, his voice smooth and warm. She looked up into his eyes, trying to discern truth. "Take my hand, and I will help you to accept this magic. I shall teach you how to control it." His gloved hand hovered between them, waiting patiently, so close and yet so far. It seemed safe and dangerous at the same time. Emma looked at the glitter again before glancing at his hand. Could she really trust him? This would be a new life, something frightening and lonely. She wouldn't have her family or her friends. She would have a strange new ability that was as scary as it was fantastic. Jareth was offering her a safe harbour, essentially. But he was so - intimidating. His closeness, his countenance, everything about him made her nervous and shaky. And yet here he was, holding out his hand to pick her up after she had fallen so many times.

"Emma, take my hand. It will be all right," Jareth said. Emma looked into his eyes once more. She couldn't see anything evil in their odd colours, just anticipation, hope, and apology. He was sorry for trapping her Underground. But perhaps together, they could make things right for her again.

Emma raised her arm and placed her hand in Jareth's warm, sure grip.

* * *

_Goodness me, that's the first story I've actually finished in two years! I can't believe I did it! Of course there is room for a possible sequel, although I'm afraid to actually write about Emma and Jareth, because I actually just wanted them to be neutral with each other, even though things aren't working out that way. Well, hopefully this pleased you all. Let me know via reviews or PMs if the idea of Emma/Jareth is interesting. _

_Don't be afraid to check out my new exercise in oddity, Ridiculous, which is a rather wierd piece that I'm writing every time school gets me too stressed. I think it is funny. _

_Ahem. Many thanks to .Beckoning.Disaster. , Moonspun Dragon, and Nimarwen for your continuous, fantastic support! I love you all! -hands out freshly baked Goblin King-shaped cookies -_


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